Philippine police confident that fugitive ‘son of God’ pastor Apollo Quiboloy still in church compound

MANILA: Philippine preacher Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted by Philippine and United States authorities on sexual abuse and human trafficking charges, remains holed up in a sprawling church compound in the southern city of Davao.

The Philippine national police made this declaration in response to statements from some quarters – including the camp of Vice President Sara Duterte – that the 74-year-old mega-church leader and international evangelist had already left the city.

A massive operation to arrest Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "owner of the universe" and "appointed son of God", entered the 12th day on Wednesday (Sep 4). He has been on the run for at least three years.

Quiboloy is on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) most wanted list after he and several alleged accomplices were indicted in the US for various crimes, including child abuse and sex trafficking of girls and women aged 12 to 25. He has denied wrongdoing.

He previously asked the Philippine government to issue an assurance that he would not be extradited to the US, as part of conditions for his surrender.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Wednesday said the conditions set by Quiboloy are "immaterial", adding the fugitive should speak to the courts.

"It is out of our hands already. It is in the court’s hands. So, all of these conditions that he’s putting in are immaterial,” according to local media, quoting Marcos.

POLICE SEARCHED BUILDING IN COMPOUND

On Tuesday, Davao Region police chief Nicolas Torre III told the media that police officers were able to search a building in the 30ha compound of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, which was founded by Quiboloy in 1985.

It has been the site of police operations for over a week. On Sunday, police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of followers who allegedly threw stones and blocked a highway with burning tires.

Last month, around 60 police officers were wounded in a standoff with Quiboloy supporters in attempts to serve an arrest warrant on him.

Philippine police also said they have been unable to search the compound on their own terms due to resistance from followers. The police added that the supporters pressured them to only allow female officers to enter.

Torres, who is leading the raid, said officers found a bedroom in the building seemingly occupied by a male person. Torres’ working theory is that this person was Quiboloy.

KOJC’s lawyer Israelito Torrean described the building as a “Bible study area”, while Torres tentatively described it as a school.

He told reporters that police officers also found other rooms connected to the bedroom that seemed to have been occupied by females, based on items there.

According to a 2021 US indictment against Quiboloy, he and two KOJC administrators recruited females aged 12 to 25 as Quiboloy’s so-called personal assistants, or “pastorals”. 

They allegedly prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages, and were forced to have sex with him in a routine called “night duty”.

The indictment alleges the sex trafficking scheme started no later than 2002 and continued to at least 2018. It specifically mentions five female victims, three of whom were minors when the alleged sex trafficking began.

Victims were told that having sex with the pastor was "God’s will" and a "necessary demonstration of the pastoral's commitment".

Meanwhile, the indictment also accuses KOJC administrators of bringing workers from the Philippines to the US via fraudulently obtained visas and confiscating all forms of identification, before forcing the workers to spend long hours illegally soliciting money for KOJC outside of businesses across America.

The workers allegedly told potential donors that a California-based charity would use their money to help impoverished children.

However, the funds were used to directly finance KOJC operations and the lavish lifestyle of its leaders, including Quiboloy, according to the indictment.

DUTERTES ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Quiboloy is also known for his friendship with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, having been Duterte's spiritual adviser while he was in office.

The case has attracted criticism from the former president and his daughter – the current vice president, who accused the police of rights violations and abuse of power.

Last Tuesday, President Marcos defended the deployment of 2,000 police officers to arrest Quiboloy, saying it was aimed at ensuring the area around the church premises was safe and secure.

Marcos also noted the size of the compound, which spans the equivalent of about 74 football fields.

The Dutertes forged an alliance with Marcos during the 2022 general election but they have since become rivals.

On Tuesday, Torres said the ongoing raid could set a precedent for other operations in the future. He also did not set a deadline for the raid to end, saying police could "even be here after a year" to bring Quiboloy to justice.

“What we are doing now may be different from what you have seen in the past, because this is not just the work of a single police officer or even a few police officers,” he added.

“This is us making history, because what we are doing may become a basis for what can be done in the future.”

Additional reporting by Buena Bernal.