Police Official Who Led Quiboloy Manhunt Promoted to CIDG Chief
QUIBOLOY – Nicolas Torre III has been promoted to a two-star rank and was designated as acting director of CIDG.
Police Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, previously the Davao regional police director, has been appointed acting chief of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Torre’s appointment follows his leadership in a high-profile 16-day operation that led to the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “appointed Son of God,” along with four of his five co-accused at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound in Davao City on September 8.
Based on a report from Inquirer, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo stated that Torre will assume the position full-time once promoted to the rank of major general. His promotion is pending, but his new role as CIDG chief is already effective. Torre takes over from Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco, with Brig. Gen. Leon Victor Rosete succeeding Torre as the new Davao regional police director.
The operation to apprehend Quiboloy involved up to 2,000 police officers and garnered significant attention due to its scale and complexity. Authorities uncovered a tunnel within the sprawling KJC property while facing legal opposition and protests from Quiboloy’s supporters and legal team.
In his new position at the CIDG, Torre will oversee another high-profile manhunt, this time tracking former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque. Roque has gone into hiding after the House of Representatives ordered his arrest on September 12 for contempt, following his failure to present documents related to his assets and business dealings. Additionally, Torre will lead an investigation into allegations that a former PNP chief assisted dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo in fleeing the country in July.
Torre’s career trajectory has seen ups and downs. After nearly a year on floating status, he was appointed Davao Region police chief in June. He had resigned as the Quezon City Police District director in August of the previous year following criticism for allegedly providing special treatment to a former policeman involved in a road rage incident.
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