Senate’s Osaa still in Davao City

THE Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (Osaa) is still in Davao City as the search against the “fugitive from justice” founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC), Pastor Apollo Quiboloy continues.

Osaa, the upper chambers’ legal frontline tasked to serve the arrest order against the notorious preacher, arrived in Davao on April 8.

The team immediately coordinated a meeting with the National Bureau of Investigations-Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office (NBI-Semro) and the Police Regional Office-Davao Region (PRO-Davao) for a comprehensive investigation.

“Sa Davao sila [nag]-stay. Wala pod sila [nag]hatag og date when sila balik (They are currently in Davao. They did not give an exact timeline on their return date),” PRO-Davao spokesperson Police Major Catherine Dela Rey said in a text message on Thursday, April 11.

Quiboloy was issued with a second warrant of arrest for qualified human trafficking under Section 4 (a) of Republic Act (R.A) 9208 as amended.

No bail is recommended for the said charge.

The two-page order was issued on April 11 after Pasig RTC Branch 159 Acting Presiding Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa denied the motion of Quiboloy’s camp asking to suspend the proceedings and hold in abeyance the issuance of the warrant. 

“Clearly, from the foregoing, there is no basis for this court to suspend the proceedings by reason of the filing of a motion for reconsideration on the Resolution of the petition for review before the Department of Justice as this is not one of the grounds stated under Section 11, Rule 116 of the Rules on Criminal Procedure,” the court order read.

The arrest warrant also includes Quiboloy’s five subordinates who were previously granted temporary free after posting bail earlier this week over child and sexual abuse violations. DEF

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