MANILA – Apollo Quiboloy, leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), has surrendered to authorities after a 16-day standoff at his church compound in Davao City, according to a senior police official.

Police Regional Office-Davao (PRO-11) Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III confirmed on Monday that Quiboloy’s attempted deceptions to evade capture came to an end.

During a press briefing at Camp Crame, Torre revealed that negotiations led to a delay of the planned assault on the ACQ College of Ministries, where Quiboloy and his associates, including Jackielyn Roy, Ingrid Canada, Cresente Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes, were believed to be hiding.

The operation was postponed to accommodate security preparations for the Bar Examinations, but by Sunday morning, Torre deployed 500 Special Action Force (SAF) and 500 Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers to the site.

The buildup prompted Quiboloy’s group to signal surrender at 10 a.m., with final capitulation occurring at 5:30 p.m. The group was transported by military aircraft from Davao City to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, arriving at Camp Crame for medical examination and booking at around 9:10 p.m.

Torre noted that the 30-hectare KOJC compound was tightly secured to prevent any escape. “It’s a relief that this situation was resolved without further risking lives,” Torre said, attributing the resolution to divine intervention.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil supported Torre’s statement, revealing that police were confident Quiboloy had remained within the compound despite numerous deceptive tactics.

Marbil noted that surrender offers, which were later found to be misleading, were made several times.

Quiboloy and his co-accused, masked and under custody, were shown to the media. The police have returned the arrest warrants for charges of sexual abuse and qualified human trafficking to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 106 and the Pasig RTC Branch 159, respectively.

The five detainees are now held at the PNP Custodial Center.

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