DAVAO CITY — The heavily armed bodyguards of Kabus Padatoon (KAPA) founder Joel Apolinario put up a fight against the operations of Philippine National Police (PNP) in Caraga province on Tuesday morning which killed two of his men and resulted to his arrest and 23 others.
In a virtual press conference Wednesday morning, July 22, PNP Chief, PGen Archie Gamboa, PNP-13 stated that the arrest of the notorious KAPA ministry international leader Apolinario will give justice to thousands of victim who were deceived in putting up money in the hope of earning more from it, but ended up having nothing at all.
KAPA was engaged in Ponzi Scheme and has enticed thousands of people especially in Mindanao, while many of them ended losing properties and entangled to loans and debts.
Since June of 2019, Apolinario and his cohorts went into hiding as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered their arrest for syndicated estafa.
The firefight ensued after Apolinario’s armed group resisted when the police served his warrants of arrest on July 21, in an isolated Island Resort in Sitio Dahican, Brgy. Handamayan, Lingig, Surigao del Sur.
PRO-13 spokesperson Maj. Rennel Serrano said the armed men of Apolinario only surrendered upon sensing that they were outnumbered by PNP which was led by PNP Regional Special Operations Group.
Two armed men of Apolinario were killed while one was reportedly wounded and brought to Bislig City District Hospital.
The operation against Apolinario and his leaders according to Gamboa emanates from “The special directive from President Rodrigo Duterte to arrest Apolinario and his cohorts to vindicate the thousands of members from Visayas and Mindanao who were victimized by KAPA’s massive investment scam”.
Gamboa added, “Our men in Caraga have been monitoring the whereabouts of the suspect and his armed men since January this year”.
The operation is also pursuant to the PNP’s campaign against loose firearms as Apolinario was reportedly carrying unlicensed high-powered firearms and ammunition for his personal bodyguards, said PRO 13 Regional Director, PBGen Joselito Esquivel, Jr.
The firearms recovered from Apolinario’s group include:
- 30 units of M16 rifles
- Two (2) units of M4 rifle
- One (1) unit Garand Rifle
- Three (3) units of 60 cal. Machine gun
- One (1) unit of 50 cal. Sniper rifle
- Three (3) units cal.22 rifle
- One (1) unit carbine
- One (1) unit shotgun
- Two (2) units of RPG
- Five (5) units of caliber 45 pistol, and
- Assorted rounds of ammunition.
Esquivel said that government troops are still in the area securing the place of the incident as the Provincial Crime Laboratory Office of Surigao del Sur PNP is still conducting accounting and inventory of evidence.
The joint operation was led by Surigao del Sur police director Police Colonel James Gofort.
Gamboa lauded the PNP-Caraga for a job well done.-Newsline.ph
