Over the past week the people of Davao City and perhaps the rest of the Southern Mindanao Region, are so pre-0occupied with their monitoring of the development on the so-called “take-over” by the police of the compound of the main headquarters of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church (KOJC). This after the religious sect’s Founder and Pastor, the “appointed Son of God” went into hiding to dodge two warrants of arrest issued by the courts against him.
What invited the Davaoenos’ attention on the on-going KOJC “takeover” is the huge number of policemen involved in the service of the warrants against the Pastor and some four of his close associates, his co-accused in the cases filed in Davao City and Pasig courts.
As consequence some kind of a “stand-still” is prevailing in the local government especially among the Councilors who, without doubt, are all out in supporting the decision of the top KOJC Pastor to remain in hiding “come what may.”
Thus there was not much significant activities in the City Council except for Sanggunian members representing the second and third districts.
Yes, the Councilors from these two districts have been busy during the week visiting areas in their jurisdiction with a good number of indigenous people residing. Most barangays in the two districts were holding their “Araw ng Lumad” last August 29. Thus, the councilors were too busy visiting the barangays with a number of lumad residents. They were engrossed in responding to request for sponsorships to foot the bills for prizes, snacks and of course their supposed delivery of social services to the rural areas like free medical consultation, Operation “Tuli,” etc., etc.
Actually they were taking advantage of one auspicious opportunity to campaign for reelection this early in the May 2025 local election.
Meanwhile, the result of the one week search for the fugitive Pastor is eagerly awaited by everyone in the city and maybe the whole country. A Quiboloy and associates’ arrest will surely justify the government’s expenses in the fielding of so many policemen and utilizing equipment including the so-called ground-penetrating radar that could detect heartbeats of people several feet under the ground.
On the other hand a failure of the law enforcers to locate the fugitives inside the bunker or tunnel will certainly make a laughing stock of the police and the strategy they adopted. And there will be doubt that the Pastor-in-hiding and his advisers and strategy planners will be laughing their hearts out.
Meanwhile, a video showing Police Director General Rommel Francisco Marbil singing in what could be a videoke bar and preceding his rendition with a statement, “Quiboloy, lumabas ka na diyan” is perhaps the most inappropriate act and unprofessional language the country’s top policeman can do and say. What with his policemen inveigled in the thick of tracking the whereabouts of a few individuals and those engaged in the search have already a week of sleepless nights facing the mockeries and insujlts of the followers of their quarry Pastor.
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Still on the Pastor Quiboloy’s flight from the law; who could possibly be the real brains behind the strategy being adopted by the religious leader in not surrendering to the authorities?
For certain the Pastor has not yet used any of the powers given by God the Father to him as His “appointed” son. If he did he could stop outright the “takeover” by the police of his compound. If as he claimed over television that he had “stopped” a Magnitude 6.9 earthquake recently then easily he could have easily waylaid the policemen from finding his compound if he wants to.
But the Pastor choses not. Instead he allowed the policemen to dry themselves in the hot sun, or shiver in the cold of the last six nights – acts that manifest his desire to confront his nemesis by preferring to be ordinary human.
Still, the policemen have a hard time locating him; how much more if he had chosen to use his power as the “appointed” son of the Father?
Seriously though, we realized that employing a large number of policemen in the search of the fugitive religious leader is the best and safest scheme the police can do if only to obviate the possibility of more clashes resulting to injuries of both the lawmen and the members of Quiboloy’s sect.
Why are we saying this? It is because of the possibility that had there been only a few policemen fielded at the KOJC compound and perimeter, the likelihood is that the huge number of ACQ’s followers will mug the policemen. Normally the law enforcers may not anymore be able to exercise maximum tolerance. They will surely react accordingly. And that is where trouble begins.
Hence, the big number of policemen is the best balancing factor to prevent the fanatical sect followers from doing their thing in defense of their beleaguered Pastor.
Could we be wrong in this assumption of ours? Hopefully not.
