- Negotiations started three days before police ultimatum: military source
MULTIPLE sources within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) revealed more details on Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s surrender on Sept. 8, as initially narrated by his lawyer, Atty. Israelito Torreon.
A military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed in a phone interview with TIMES that the surrender was facilitated by an Army officer close to Atty. Torreon.
The officer stated that the ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines) was involved in the negotiations, leading to Quiboloy’s surrender directly to the AFP.
“Their lawyer is Atty. Torreon, so it was sponsored by the ISAFP. The ISAFP agreed to handle it directly to avoid complications and go straight to the political connections. They have direct access to the DND (Department of National Defense), so that’s why a C-130 flew in quickly, picked him up, and everything was handled swiftly. If it had gone through the 10ID (10th Infantry Division), there would have been more hoops to jump through,” the officer explained.
The high-ranking officer also disclosed that the plan for Quiboloy to surrender to the AFP had been in the works for some time, even predating the arrest of Alice Guo. She said had the pastor ignored the warning, police would have stormed a building that was supposedly off-limits to the operatives.
“Three days, na yan nag antay yang trabaho na yan, so it was already there before. Naistoryahan na before pa sa giingon nila naghatag sila ug ultimatum, he said three days na naghulat ang trabaho (They worked on it for three days and negotiations took place even before their so-called ultimatum),” he added.
Previously, PNP spokesperson Colonel Jean Fajardo told journalists in Manila that the police ultimatum pressured Quiboloy into surrendering as the law enforcers were quickly closing in on him.
He said the military received surrender feelers from Quiboloy’s camp. ISAFP was tasked to handle the negotiations and transport to avoid “political complexities.”
The officer also said that it helped that Torreon had previous dealings with the military when the KOJC legal counsel represented the officers in the case filed a peasant on a land case.
Cover story
The officer also cast doubt on the official narrative that Quiboloy surrendered within the KOJC compound. “This is to cover up the stories from the PNP regional director and the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) about what happened,” he said.
“They brought him in through the back entrance so as not to embarrass the DILG and the PNP, who had many violations. If he surrendered outside, it would become a big political issue.”
Regarding Quiboloy’s entry into the compound as he supposedly surrendered in the KOJC hangar near the Kingdome, the officer remarked:
“They just brought him in. He couldn’t have been inside because if he had, the police would have gotten him. Do you think the police on guard would let AFP members in? They might even ask for a court order. So why would they let the AFP in just to effect the surrender of the pastor if they knew he was already there?”
Instead, Quiboloy was brought in through the old airport around 5:30 p.m. He was herded to the waiting C-130 at the TOG XI airstrip and arrived at Villamor Air Base around 8:30 p.m.
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.
When asked about the possibility of Quiboloy being transferred back to ISAFP custody, the officer said, “But maybe they’ll just return him to ISAFP custody because that’s where they handle high-profile [cases]. The PNP doesn’t have facilities for high-profile suspects there, it’s hidden. Let’s see.”
In a separate message on Tuesday morning, National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año stated that Pastor Quiboloy was cornered and had no choice but to surrender to the AFP.
“In essence, he was arrested through surrender negotiations. It’s a joint operation of the PNP and the AFP,” he added.
Meanwhile, 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.”
On Monday, Atty Torreon revealed that Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib played a key role in facilitating Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s surrender. Torreon clarified that Quiboloy’s surrender was voluntary, contrary to earlier reports by DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.
Governor’s version
Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib has helped facilitate the negotiation for the surrender of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
In an interview with One Mindanao on Monday, Jubahib said he bridged communication between the board of directors of KOJC, including legal counsel Atty. Israelito Torreon, and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).
He said the negotiation started on August 30, 2024, and the series of dialogues between the camp of KOJC and ISAFP took place in Davao City.
Jubahib said dialogues were conducted around seven times until trust between the two parties was established.
“Nong succeeding na tumatawag sila sa akin na matulungan namakipag-dialogue sa Philippine Army, don ako nag-umpisa nagumawa ng hakbang… nilapitan ko ang assigned battalion commander sa 60IB at sinabi ko na mayroon isang confidential dialogue na gusto ng board of directors ng KOJC. Dun nag-umpisa na nag-facilitate po tayo na mag-usap po sila,” Jubahib said.
The day before Quiboloy decided to turn himself in on Sept. 8, 2024, it was agreed that the board of directors would bring Quiboloy to a designated place where he would meet with ISAFP. They also agreed to limit the number of people who would be informed about the surrender.
Jubahib clarified that he has no personal connection with Quiboloy, but Torreon was his legal counsel when he was suspended for three months for administrative complaints.
Police statement
Meanwhile, Police Regional Office XI spokesperson Major Catherine Dela Rey in their statement on Monday said “All these claims will be addressed in a proper forum what is important is that Pastor Quiboloy and his four associates are now in the custody of the PNP.”
“Nevertheless, we remained firm that since the start of the service of the warrants of arrest, we were following reliable information that eventually led us to reasonably believe that Pastor Quiboloy was just within our reach. Let us now move to the next phase and let him face his charges in court,” Major Dela Rey said.
