Philippine president defends massive operation to arrest celebrity pastor

By Neil Jerome Morales

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr defended on Tuesday the deployment of 2,000 police officers at the weekend to arrest an influential pastor accused of sex trafficking who is a longtime friend of the country's former president.

Police think Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "owner of the universe" and "appointed son of god", is hiding in a bunker at the sprawling compound owned by his church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), in the southern city of Davao.

Quiboloy is wanted on charges of child and sexual abuse and related allegations of human trafficking. He denies wrongdoing.

Marcos said Saturday's police deployment aimed at ensuring the area around the church premises was safe and secure.

"And considering that this is a 30-hectare (74-acre)compound, you really need plenty of people, not just a dozen police," Marcos told reporters.

His remarks follow criticism over the handling of the case by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. The pair, who used to be allies of Marcos but have become rivals, have accused police of rights violations and abuse of power.

"These acts are not only a blatant violation of constitutionally protected rights but a betrayal of the trust that we, Filipinos, place in the very institution sworn to protect and serve us," Sara Duterte said in a statement.

Quiboloy's followers blocked the gate of the compound to prevent hundreds of shield-carrying police from enforcing a court order to arrest the evangelist preacher, a police spokesperson said.

The police "have turned the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound into a garrison", Israelito Torreon, Quiboloy's lawyer, told ANC news channel on Tuesday.

Quiboloy, who also figures on the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's most wanted list, is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where church leaders hold heavy sway in politics.

Sara Duterte, whose recent exit from Marcos' cabinet sealed the break-up of the alliance they forged in a 2022 election, said in her statement she regretted persuading members of Quiboloy's church to vote for Marcos two years ago.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Helen Popper)