PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil and Police Regional Office XI Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III confirmed that an underground facility was discovered earlier during a search of the KOJC compound, where Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and four other co-accused individuals were believed to be.
In a press conference on Sunday afternoon at Camp Quintin Merecido, PRO XI Director Torre said, “Before we started the close examination and search of the buildings yesterday, we prioritized our review.”
“We examined the structures, layout, and everything to assess where movement might occur. Based on our assessment and information from informants, we believe the individuals may have left the area. So now, we are conducting a search of the buildings and properties,” he explained.
“Operation continues,” Torre added.
When asked if the police forces would remain on-site, Torre said, “Yes. We are not finished yet because the use of ground-penetrating radars is slow, but these radars have shown positive results. We are detecting things that are not visible to the naked eye.”
“It’s just a matter of time before we uncover everything here and actually determine who is inside. Currently, we can only see those outside and not those inside,” he added.
Regarding whether Pastor Quiboloy is still at the compound, Torre stated, “We are very confident now.”
“We are not digging, but we are searching for the entrance. We know where the areas with underground access are; it’s just a matter of time,” Torre said.
When asked about the duration of the operation, Marbil said, “Our guidance is to follow human rights. We do not agree with cutting off electricity or water. We are adhering to human rights as our guidance.”
“As for the location of the individuals, as long as we have not received a warrant of arrest and we are certain that the person is there, we have legal grounds to remain on-site, especially now that we are uncovering cases related to illegal human trafficking,” Marbil added.
Several lawyer groups have complained about the prolonged presence at the establishment, claiming it is against the law. Marbil responded, “As long as we are not disrupting their operations and are not violating human rights, we are not preventing those inside from leaving. We are simply continuing our investigation as we have identified more cases.”
“This is our reason for staying longer,” he said.
Regarding the ‘reasonable time’ to effect the warrant of arrest and the extended stay within the compound, Marbil said, “There is no specific duration for what constitutes a reasonable time. We are serving the warrants as long as we have them and are confident that the individuals we are looking for are present. We are using locators, but we have not yet identified the correct entrance.”
“What are you hiding there? Come out. It is a legal order from the court for non-bailable offenses. We are here to enforce the law, which is Philippine law, not just police law,” he said.
“The court is also asking us because we repeatedly say we cannot find the individuals. We are confident they are there, including not only Pastor Apollo Quiboloy but also the four others,” he added.
One of the legal counsels for the KOJC argued that the police must have personal knowledge of Quiboloy’s presence before breaking in. Marbil said, “That is not true. We have people informing us that he is there. It just so happens that they have prepared the area with barriers.”
“If the person were not there, why would they set up so many barricades? We have seen the extensive barriers,” he added.
Regarding search areas, Torre said, “Yesterday, we conducted a general survey of the entire area. After negative results in three areas we considered probable, we assessed where to search next.”
“In the area indicated where the person is believed to be, particularly at JMC, we expect results from the search soon. We are confident in the results from the ground-penetrating radar. We are just searching for the underground facility entrance that we cannot see from outside. This matches the information from our informants,” Torre said.
Torre further clarified that ground-penetrating radar is used to detect various things, including potential survivors if a structure collapses.
“GPR detects heartbeats and vital signs. We have already seen indications of bunkers, and we expect to locate Pastor Quiboloy,” he added.
He also mentioned that the radar has been used successfully in the past to locate people behind walls.
Regarding the bunkers, Torre said, “We are making this information public to encourage the Pastor to surrender so we can conclude this matter. It’s only a matter of time.”
“As long as we are within the KOJC compound, JMC is one of the areas we are focused on,” he added.
Addressing the challenges of locating Pastor Quiboloy, Torre said, “The posts they make show how difficult our search efforts are.”
PRO XI Director Torre also dismissed rumors about cutting electricity inside the compound, saying, “There is no plan to do that. It would only make it harder to see inside.”
However, KOJC members claimed that contrary to police claims, Quiboloy is not in the compound.
Photo Rhoda Grace Saron
