Quiboloy hospitalized for pneumonia–BJMP
Televangelist and Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing rape and qualified human trafficking charges, has been taken out of detention and transferred to an undisclosed hospital after he “complained of difficulty in breathing,” the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said on Tuesday.
Jail Supt. Jayrex Bustinera, spokesperson for the BJMP, said in a statement that Quiboloy was moved on Saturday from the Pasig City Jail male dormitory to Rizal Medical Center (RMC) “for appropriate medical intervention.”
“The attending physician at RMC recommended hospital confinement with a diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia,” Bustinera added.
However, Quiboloy was moved that same day to an undisclosed hospital based on the recommendation of his attending physician at RMC “due to the lack of facilities.”
“I am not at liberty to disclose the hospital for security reasons,” the BJMP spokesperson said.
Emergency case
“Since it is an emergency case, there is no need for a court order per BJMP protocol. The court was immediately informed of this last Monday,” he added.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God” was still confined at the hospital, according to Bustinera.
“We assure the public that Quiboloy remains under BJMP custody and that strict security is in place while in hospital confinement,” he said.
Last year, Quiboloy was also brought to the Philippine Heart Center and Philippine Children’s Hospital where he underwent medical tests after he experienced “irregular heartbeat.”
Before being transferred to the Pasig City Jail, he was detained at the Philippine National Police custodial center at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
Quiboloy was arrested on Sept. 8 last year after he went into hiding for two weeks in the sprawling KOJC compound in Davao City to evade capture on charges of child abuse and human trafficking.
He also has a standing warrant of arrest from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation after he was indicted in 2021 by a federal grand jury in California for various sex trafficking charges, including sex trafficking of children, as well as conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling.
Quiboloy’s lawyer Israelito Torreon last year asked the court to have his client either placed under house arrest or transferred to the custody of the military, citing security and health concerns, but these were denied.
