Police rescue alleged trafficking victims from Quiboloy compound in Davao

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Police said they rescued two alleged trafficking victims on Sunday, August 25, from the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound in Davao City.

Davao Region police spokesperson Major Catherine dela Rey said the alleged victims — a woman from Cotabato province and a 21-year-old male from Samar — were brought to the Women and Children’s Protection Desk of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the region for documentation.

She said workers from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) helped with the rescue and were taking care of the alleged victims.

Dela Rey told Rappler authorities searched for the young man after his worried parents sought police help as news spread about the extensive manhunt for fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy and four of his associates in the 30-hectare KOJC property, which began on Saturday, August 24. Police have continued with the hunt for Quiboloy.

Dela Rey said a family from Midsayap, Cotabato, also sought assistance because the woman wanted to go home but was allegedly being restricted.

She said one of the woman’s children alleged that her mother was being prevented by a KOJC minister from leaving.

Police provided no further details as of posting time, but Sunday’s rescue could breed more non-bailable trafficking cases against Quiboloy’s group, and include more of his associates. The 30-hectare compound, incidentally, is one of the properties entrusted by the KOJC to former president Rodrigo Duterte who was appointed as the group’s property administrator last March.

Quiboloy and several of his associates are wanted in connection with a non-bailable qualified trafficking case. They have also been charged with child abuse, and Quiboloy faces an additional charge of sexual abuse of a minor in a separate court.

The 74-year-old KOJC leader has been on the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list since early 2022. He and several of his followers in the US were indicted in late 2021 on multiple criminal charges, including human trafficking. – Rappler.com