Quiboloy church to help members who sold toxic fruit candies

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Kingdom of Jesus Christ movement said on Tuesday, July 14, it got instructions from its founder, international evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, to cooperate with authorities investigating the sale of toxic candies that poisoned close to 2,000 people in the Caraga region.

Quiboloy’s legal counsel, Charmalou Aldevera, confirmed that the ambulant vendors who were arrested in Surigao del Sur are member of their congregation.

Kingdom of Jesus Christ, she said, is “conducting an independent investigation” into the incident.

Aldevera said that when they learned about the incident, “we immediately dispatch our  team and find out the condition of our members. The priority yesterday was to make sure they (suspects) are okay, they are in good condition.” 

Though  Quiboloy is out of the country, Aldevera said he is aware of what happened. “The word that we got from him is to make sure the members will get all the help they can get.”

The congregation, Aldevera said awaits the court resolution to pay corresponding bail bond for their members.

On Monday, Superintendent Aaron Aquino, deputy director for regional operation of Philippine National Police, told Rappler: “We need to interview or get a statement from Pastor Quiboloy. I think there will be some explanation for this, because allegedly the people involved, the suspects, are his people. In fact the vehicle which was confiscated is registered under the name of his congregation.”

Aquino heads the Special Inter-Agency Investigation Task Group (SIITG), which is composed of representatives from the Department of Health Region XI, City Health Office of Davao, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Trade and Industry, Police Regional Office XI, and Caraga Police Command and scene-of-the-crime operatives in Region XI, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Before the mass poisoning in 3 Caraga provinces, it was public knowledge that members of Quiboloy’s organization sold candies and other foodstuffs, such as durian, polvoron, and sampalok in the different parts of Mindanao.

A white Mitsubishi L-300 FB Deluxe with license plate number MEM-366, used by the sellers and confiscated by the police in Cagwait town, Surigao del Sur, is registered under the name of Quiboloy.

The task group has yet to hear John Dequilla, the one who placed the order with Wendy’s Durian Candy, which is owned by Janet Aquino. (The task group head denied any relationship with the durian candy manufacturer.)

Charges files vs vendors

Superintendent Ramir Perlas of the Caraga police said they have filed 3 separate charges against the 8 ambulant vendors who sold the toxic candies and are now detained in various police precincts in Surigao del Sur.

The following are charged with violating Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines; Republic Act 10611, known as the Food Safety Act of 2013; and reckless imprudence resulting to multiple serious physical injury

• Junnil Martinez Teriote, 30
• Joel Alferez Pasa, 29
• Richard Lawag Rivera, 28
• Martinez Sawit Bocaycay, 19
• Genelyn Dorgas Pasa, 26
• Henryto Bitco Amoguis, 21
• John Oben Dequilla, 36
• John Oben
• Junnel Teriote

Only Oben and Teriote are not members of Kingdom of Jesus Christ movement.

Perlas said 5 more vendors are being hunted down.

Authorities accompanied personnel of the regional Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office to get samples of products manufactured by Wendy’s Durian Candy on Monday.

Debbie Legaspi of the FDA said Wendy’s violated some food manufacturing standards, but refused to elaborate. The samples will be sent to the FDA in Manila, whose officials announced that results of the tests are expected by Wednesday, July 15.

Junjun Ontik, a staff member at Wendy’s, said in the vernacular: “We tasted the product before we sent it. We are wondering why our products were repacked. That’s not how we packed them.” – Rappler.com