PNP checks gun licenses of KOJC ‘Angels of Death’
The Philippine National Police said on Wednesday it was checking the gun ownership records of suspected members of the “Angels of Death,” the supposed private army of detained Kingdom Of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy.
According to PNP Civil Security spokesperson Lt. Col. Eudisan Gultiano, the Davao City Police has requested the PNP Firearms and Explosive Office (FEO) to investigate the said individuals.
“I can confirm that some have records with FEO, but [others] don’t,” she told reporters.
Gultiano said the request was limited to the verification of records and not the revocation of licenses.
“We will be waiting for another request. At this moment, since the investigation is ongoing on the alleged Angels of Death, we’ll have to deal with that later on,” she said.
Threatening victims
Gultiano would not say how many names were submitted by the Davao police.
Members of the Angels of Death allegedly threatened Quiboloy’s rape victims against revealing their ordeal.
Quiboloy and four of his five co-accused KOJC associates surrendered to authorities on Sept. 8, emerging from one of the buildings in the sect’s sprawling compound in Davao City. They are facing sexual abuse and qualified human trafficking charges.
Since then, more victims have come forward to expose the anomalies within the religious group, including Quiboloy’s alleged sexual abuse of minors, according to the PNP.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said they were not discounting the possibility that uniformed personnel, whether active or retired, may be involved with the Angels of Death.
There is an ongoing background check of the alleged members identified by the PNP in Davao, she added.
Full cooperation
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, said it would “fully cooperate” with the PNP investigation on Quiboloy’s supposed private army, which reportedly includes active and former Army Scout Rangers and Marines.
“The AFP stands ready to provide support in terms of national security concerns and will fully cooperate with the investigation, if necessary,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla told the Inquirer on Wednesday.
She declined further comment “with due respect to the PNP… We defer to them regarding Quiboloy’s case.”
Col. Reynaldo Balido Jr., deputy chief of the Philippine Army Chief Public Affairs, confirmed on Tuesday that some KOJC members were Army reservists.
“They are on active duty. They are called the 2nd Signal Battalion Philippine Army Affiliated Reserve Unit. They were tapped because of their expertise in communications,” Balido told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“But as to their involvement, we will closely coordinate with our law enforcement agency counterparts,” he added.
540-man unit
Col. Louie Dema-ala, Philippine Army spokesperson, also said the reservist unit has 540 members with two officers and 538 enlisted personnel. Up to 200 of them are based in Davao.
He said the KOJC-owned Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) was accredited as an affiliated reserve unit of the Philippine Army in 2015.
But Balido added that the Army does not control the unit during peacetime, citing that control over reservists would apply only during wartime and national emergencies.
He assured the public that their affiliation with the Army would be revoked if violations would be proven against them.
