Pro-Duterte sect leader warns of revolution

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Televangelist Apollo Quiboloy threatened to lead a revolution should presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte get cheated in the May 9 general elections.

“If there is cheating there, will be a revolution. I will lead a people’s  revolution,” Quiboloy, founder of the Davao-based The Kingdom of Jesus  Christ, told reporters here on Thursday.

Earlier, Quiboloy said there were reports from overseas Filipino workers  (OFWs) that when they cast their ballot under the absentee voting system abroad, the voter’s receipts did not reflect their choices.

Quiboloy said cheating Duterte would be obvious, arguing that in the Davao mayor’s rallies, thousands of people show up.

Quiboloy supports Duterte and has lent him his private plane and helicopter for the campaign.

The religious sect leader said only fraud could erode Duterte’s chances at winning,  citing the mayor’s wide lead of 12 percent against his nearest rival in presidential surveys.

The people, especially his supporters, will now allow Duterte to get cheated, Quiboloy warned.

“If you cheat Duterte, (who has) a 12-percentage point ahead of his opponents, there will be a revolution. I will lead a revolution of the people if that happens. I will not allow it,” he reiterated.

“He will win this election. The surveys are not lying, the surveys are legitimate,” he added.

He said he had also expected that more issues would be raised against Duterte, even worse than Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s claim that the mayor hid multimillion peso deposits in the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

The group’s online site apolloquiboloy.com, claims Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy is “the Appointed Son of God in these last days.” The pastor oversees Sonshine Media Network International, a television network based in Davao City. The group has established a “New Jerusalem” at the foothills of Mt. Apo in Davao.

It may be recalled that Quiboloy anointed Gilbert Teodoro as the next president in the 2010 Philippine presidential election. Teodoro, however, finished fourth in the election which brought President Benigno Aquino to power with over 15 million votes.