The arrest of the police of gay street food sensation Deo Balbuena, popularly known as “Diwata,” was juxtaposed to that of fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy who has yet to be located after two courts have ordered his arrest.
“Diwata,” the personality who trended in 2016 for strutting in a precinct after being hurt by his friends, was arrested by the Pasay police for slight physical injuries last Tuesday.
Reports said that the arrest warrant was based on an Oct. 2, 2018 complaint of physical injury filed against Diwata by a man with the alias “Rogelio.”
Based on the complaint, “Rogelio” was resting under Diokno Bridge on May 5, 2018 while waiting for his application as a construction worker when Diwata became furious upon seeing him resting.
Diwata then reportedly hit him in the head with a bamboo stick.
The police said the personality was able to post bail immediately, which amounted to P3,000.
Diwata now owns a 24-hour pares business in Pasay called Diwata Pares Overload Unli Rice.
“Pares” is made with tough cuts of beef that are stewed for hours in a sauce made fragrant by exotic herbs and spices. It is often served with a side of steaming hot soup and rice.
Diwata recently appeared on television in Coco Martin’s action series “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” where he plays Frida.
The case of Quiboloy
Meanwhile, Diwata’s arrest over an old complaint disappointed some Filipinos who urged the police to focus on a bigger case — that of Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Apollo Quiboloy.
“Samantala si Quiboloy mabagal arestuhin,” a Filipino commented on a news post about Diwata being arrested.
“Tapos si Quiboloy ‘di [niyo] mahuli,” another online user said.
“Si Quiboloy [‘yung] hanapin [niyo]…grabe ba…” wrote a different Pinoy.
“Samantala si Quibs ‘di nila mahanap. ‘What country Is this?'” another user commented.
There are already two arrest warrants against Quiboloy, who has yet to be located by authorities after evading past Senate probes as his former followers accuse him of alleged abuse.
A court in Davao City has ordered him arrested for alleged sexual and child abuse, while a court in Pasig City has ordered him arrested for qualified human trafficking.
Quiboloy is also wanted in the United States for sexual trafficking. He is likewise included in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s “most wanted” list for human trafficking.
In line with this, there is also the Senate’s arrest order against the self-appointed “son of God” who was held in contempt for ignoring the summons of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality.
As of Tuesday, the Philippine National Police said that they have yet to ascertain Quiboloy’s whereabouts. However, they assured that the pastor is still in the country.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said their search efforts are not limited to Davao, Quiboloy’s hometown. She added that teams are also deployed in and outside the region to cover more ground.