POLICE and Armed Forces officials who were either hesitant to do their job or were merely indecisive in completing their mission were tagged as behind the botched operation to arrest Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy in his enclaves in Davao City last June 10.

The main problem was the presence of some star-rank officials who were designated as ground commanders during the operation but were not physically present during the early morning service of the warrants, a senior Philippine National Police (PNP) official involved in the operation said.

“Pinabayaan nila ang mga Deputy Regional Directors for Operation at Regional Mobile Force Battalion commanders nila kaya tuloy, hindi na na-control kaya ‘yung mga tao takot pumasok, talagang nag-atubili,” said the official, who added that they asked the concerned star-rank officials why they were not in their designated Quiboloy areas after they saw them inside their main command post.

“Ang masaklap, hindi napuntahan ang mga building na dapat mahalughog. Ilang ulit naming tinanong kung napuntahan lahat ang mga iyon pero ang report nila ay napuntahan kahit hindi naman pala totoo. ‘Yun ang dahilan kaya nagkaganoon,” the official added.

According to the official, the concerned officials even signed After-Operations Report which showed that they were in their designated areas and personally led their troops although it was discovered that their claims were untrue.

In stark contrast, the director of the PNP Special Action Force and the regional directors of Police Regional Office 12 and 13, namely, Brigadier General Mark D. Pespes, Brig. Gen. Percival Augustus P. Placer and Brig. Gen. Alan M. Nazarro were seen in their designated areas personally supervising their men and making sure that all their plans will be carried to the hilt, the official said.

ARMY MEN GUARDING QUIBOLOY COMPOUNDS

The official who spoke to the Journal Group on condition of anonymity said another problem in the area is the presence of Philippine Army reservists-turned-“security guards” guarding Quiboloy’s properties.

A big tarpaulin with the words, Welcome Headquarters 2nd (MD) Signal Battalion SMNI PAARU, can be seen at the entrance of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) compound located along the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway in Sasa, Davao City.

The welcome tarpaulin says that the unit is under the 105th Community Defense Center of the Army’s Reserve Command’s 11th Regional Community Defense Group.

The welcome sign greets anybody passing by or entering the self-proclaimed “Son of God’s” compound.

The official involved in the failed mission said the KOJC guards from the Kingstrooper Security Agency is headed by a member of the Army’s Reserve Command with the rank of lieutenant colonel and the designation of Battalion Commander/Division Signal Officer.

The official said that the presence of Army reservists serving as private bodyguards of local politicians is now a problem. “They are carrying guns even without licenses and identifying themselves as real Army soldiers,” he said.

The problem is real and will pose a threat to the effort of the PNP to ensure a safe and orderly 2025 midterm election, the official explained.

“Our chief, General Rommel Marbil, has declared a crackdown on ‘moonlighting cops’ including those providing unauthorized security protection to VIPs including politicians, but we also need to go after Army Reservists in parts of Mindanao and Luzon who are identifying themselves as regular Army soldiers while acting as unauthorized security personnel to their bosses,” the official said.

MORE PNP CHANGES COMING

More PNP star-rank officials are set to be affected by a forthcoming reshuffle of key police posts in the wake of last Monday’s operations in Davao City and the retirement of several others, the Journal Group learned.

Marbil earlier ordered the administrative relief of PNP Director for Operations (DO), Major Gen. Ronald O. Lee; Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 director, Brig. Gen. Aligre L. Martinez; and PNP Intelligence Group director, Colonel Edwin DL Portento in the aftermath of the raids.

However, senior PNP officials took up the cudgels for Lee and company whom they said worked hard to really arrest Quiboloy despite the fact that they were venturing in an “enemy territory” where all their movements are being monitored by loyal supporters of Quiboloy, who is known to be the spiritual adviser and best friend of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

Brig. Gen. Nicolas D. Torre was named as the acting PRO11 director vice Martinez, while Brig. Gen. Nicolas S. Salvador was designated as the acting PNP-DO director vice Lee.

Prior to last Monday’s operation, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which is the main unit tasked to get Quiboloy has failed to get the KOJC founder. The PNP is supporting the NBI in its mission to get Quiboloy.

Many officials said the only way Quiboloy can be arrested in his Davao City enclaves is to replace all active law enforcement officials in the region who are known for their close ties to the pastor and Duterte.

They include officials of the PRO11, NBI, Armed Forces of the Philippines and different PNP National Operational Support Units stationed in Southern Mindanao and its nearby regions.

Along with already retired law enforcement officials living in or frequently visiting the region, it is widely believed that these active officers are all known to Duterte and Quiboloy and on many occasions have courted the support of both, and thus have the numbers of the two and their close aides and supporters whom they can easily call.

Many officials said they are wary that even the most secret of all secret operations to get Quiboloy would be futile, since he is apparently being tipped off by active and retired law enforcement officials and his die-hard sympathizers.