MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has revoked the firearms licenses of embattled doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, the national police confirmed on Friday, April 26.

PNP chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil confirmed to Rappler the revocation of Quiboloy’s gun licenses. 

On Wednesday, PNP Firearms and Explosives Office public information office chief Police Major General Lady Lou Gonzales told Rappler that their office recommended the revocation of Quiboloy’s licenses to own and possess firearms (LTOPF), a requirement to legally hold firearms. The announcement of revocation means that Marbil had approved the said recommendation.

The PNP FEO is the unit responsible for the issuance of gun-related licenses and for ensuring that rules in possessing firearms are followed.

A Rappler investigation discovered that Quiboloy has at least 19 firearms with an estimated value of about P2.3 million ($41,000). Thirteen of these licenses will expire in April 2033, which means that the licenses were issued only in April 2023. 

For his alleged crimes, Quiboloy faces a string of cases locally and abroad. He has two pending warrants of arrest: one issued in Davao City for alleged sexual and child abuse, and the other issued by a Pasig City over alleged human trafficking, a non-bailable offense.

Quiboloy is also wanted in the United States for sexual trafficking. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California, in 2021, and landed on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list. 

The Senate has also ordered Quiboloy’s arrest after he was held in contempt for snubbing the summons of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, chaired by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros. The legislative inquiry focused on Quiboloy’s alleged crimes.

On Thursday, the Department of Justice told reporters that Quiboloy remains in the Philippines. The justice department also announced that they asked the Supreme Court (SC) for the transfer of Quiboloy’s Davao City case to Metro Manila.

The SC has yet to decide on the matter, SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting told reporters on Thursday. – Rappler.com