GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- An official of controversial religious group Kabus Padatuon or Kapa Community Ministry International Inc. (Kapa) who was reported missing last week was found critically-injured Wednesday dawn in Tupi town, South Cotabato.
Major Verlin Pampolina, Tupi police chief, said Remely Jombitado Iral, 42, was left handcuffed and injured by her captors at a portion of a pineapple plantation in Barangay Kablon, Tupi, but managed to seek help from nearby residents. She bore multiple stab wounds and other injuries, he added.
Pampolina said the victim was brought past 4 a.m. to the Tupi municipal hospital and was immediately referred to a bigger medical facility in Koronadal due to her critical condition. Her relatives later moved her to another hospital for treatment.
Police investigators found at the scene a cardboard with a message written in Filipino addressed to Pastor Joel Apolinario, the fugitive founder of Kapa.
Message reads: “Ihinto muna (sic) ang panloloko at panlilinlang sa taong bayan. Lahat ng opisyal ng Kapa susunod na kayo. Sinira niyo ang serbisyo namin, Sinira niyo ang kinabukasan namin!!!"
(Stop defrauding and deceiving the people. All officials of Kapa, you will be next. You destroyed our trust, you destroyed our future!!!”
Pampolina said the message could have come from disgruntled members of Kapa, which had operated an illegal investment scheme in parts of the country.
“That’s the focus of our investigation right now and we’re coordinating with other units about this,” the police official told reporters.
The group was flagged by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year for soliciting investments from the public in the form of donations at a monthly interest payout of 30 percent.
President Rodrigo Duterte personally ordered in June last year the stoppage of Kapa’s operations and the filing of charges against Apolinario, who has remained in hiding, as well as its other officials.
Iral, a niece of Apolinario’s wife Reyna, was the acting manager of Kapa’s main branch in Alabel town, Sarangani province.
She was declared missing following an ambush on January 22 in Barangay San Isidro here that killed her driver, identified as Bresnev Morada, 38. At that time, police did not say whether Iral was with her driver during the attack. (PNA)
