KINGDOM of Jesus Christ (KOJC) legal counsel Israelito Torreon revealed on Monday that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy surrendered to the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) on Sept. 8th.
In an interview with SMNI, Torreon said, “I apologize to the ISAFP because they didn’t want to be mentioned, but the public needs to know because Pastor trusts the AFP.”
He clarified that it was a genuine surrender. “It was really a surrender because the police didn’t actually find him. Right after there was a text message from a high-ranking police officer saying ‘gloves off’ and that anyone who obstructs them will be arrested, Pastor became very worried.
He didn’t want the situation to escalate, and he wanted to check on his people and see if the situation was truly as dire as it seemed. So, he came back from the mountains, whether you believe it or not, to check on his followers.”
Torreon continued, “He informed them that he had to surrender and that this had to end. The welfare of the members was most important to him and he even checked on his people. So, what General Torre said about Pastor just walking around there, that’s not true, at least not until September 7th onwards. I only found out that Pastor was back inside on September 8th, yesterday morning. That’s the truth about it.”
“So he decided to surrender to end the situation, not to worsen it. Someone had already died, many were injured, his Cathedral was desecrated, his JMC was turned into a mining operation, and many of the affiliate companies’ properties were confiscated even though they had nothing to do with it. So he said this has to end,” he added.
“And he has to explain to his leaders, so it was really a surrender,” Torreon emphasized.
“Even the PNP acknowledged that. We operationalized what we discussed because the one who really helped us then and until now is General Silo [Maj. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr., Area police command chief]. He’s a decent and honorable man, and General Silo trusted him. But of course, he’s a member of the PNP. This is the truth, we had to contact the Philippine Army,” he said.
“And we had a go-between, the Governor of Davao del Norte. I asked for his help, and he was able to connect me to the ISAFP. I have to tell the truth, I apologize to the ISAFP, they didn’t want to be mentioned, but the public needs to know because Pastor trusts the AFP,” Torreon said.
“So we met with the ISAFP officials… We discussed that the arresting officer and the one who would do the paperwork couldn’t be from the AFP, so we had to contact them yesterday,” he said.
“Col. Ruiz had to contact General Macapas, and Gen. Macapas had to coordinate with the higher-ups and Gen. Francisco, and he had to call others as well. So that’s what happened, we had to wait for the C130 plane from Manila because Col. Ruiz called his boss, who is also a very good man, and he arrived here. I know they don’t want this to be said, I apologize, but it needs to be said so the public knows the truth,” Torreon further narrated.
“So we went inside, and Gen. Macapas and Col. Ruiz talked inside together with me and Pastor. Then we left the compound and boarded the C-130 to Camp Crame. One agreement was that we didn’t want any trouble; we wanted a media blackout so that things could be put in proper perspective. But then Gen. Macapas requested one picture to submit to his higher-ups, and we agreed to take one picture in the plane before takeoff. General Macapas sent it to his head, I think it was General Marbil, who was in the United Arab Emirates, I think,” he added
“While we were about to take off because we were seated next to Pastor, we were able to talk. He said he couldn’t bear to see his members suffering anymore, and he didn’t want the lawless violence to expand further,” the lawyer said.
He wanted to end it and make the ultimate sacrifice. After September 7th, I don’t know how he did it, but he went back inside and met his leaders. As to how he did it, I didn’t ask,” he added.
“We couldn’t talk much because General Macapas was beside me. We were seated next to each other in the big C-130. It was my first time riding one. So that’s the whole truth. He was not arrested. I’ve repeatedly said in the Senate investigation that their favorite places to inspect since Day 1 were the Bible school, the SMNI studio, the JMC, and the Cathedral, but they never found Pastor. So when he returned on September 8th, that’s where we met Pastor, at the back. That’s the truth,” he further said.
Marcos: Quiboloy forced to surrender, not voluntary
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stated on Monday that Pastor Apollo Quiboloy was forced to surrender, given that law enforcers were already closing in on him.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Marcos said he didn’t believe Quiboloy’s surrender was voluntary. He emphasized the police’s persistent efforts to capture the KOJC founder.
Further, he said Quiboloy requested the presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during his arrest in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound on Sunday.
Marcos said after reporters asked him why Quiboloy surrendered to the AFP when it was a police operation.
Earlier, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo also claimed that Quiboloy and four others—Jackielyn Roy, Ingrid Canada, Cresente Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes—surrendered after a 24-hour ultimatum.
Reports indicate Quiboloy and the others turned themselves into the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. They were flown out of Davao at 6:30 p.m., arriving at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City around 8:30 p.m. before being taken to Camp Crame in Quezon City for booking.
On Sunday night’s TIMES report, according to a source, Pastor Quiboloy traveled from North Cotabato with an Army intelligence officer, using an access road to the KOJC hangar near the old airport, where he surrendered to ISAFP chief Maj. Gen. Edmundo Peralta.
On Monday, Col Francel Margareth Padilla, the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines reiterated the military’s support for the PNP in this operation.
Padilla said the AFP has been in full support of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the onset of the operation related to the case of Mr. Apollo Quiboloy.
“Our role in this matter has been purely in support of the PNP’s efforts in serving the warrant,” she said.
“As this is primarily a police operation, we defer to the PNP to provide the details and updates on the situation. The AFP remains committed to assisting our law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and order whenever necessary,” she added.
Photo courtesy of Atty Torreon Israelito
