Apollo Quiboloy, the disappointed ‘son of God’

Graphics by: Samuel Yap / INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The year 2024 saw the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy for child abuse, sexual abuse and qualified trafficking cases.

Quiboloy is a televangelist known for designating himself as the “appointed Son of God.” He is also the founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, or KJC, based in Davao.

But the path to Quiboloy’s arrest was not easy. It took several subpoenas, a warrant of arrest, and a grueling and extremely tense 16-day police operation to finally catch what had been the country’s most high profile fugitive.

The cat and mouse chase

The televangelist’s arrest wouldn’t have been possible without the Senate panel on women’s probe into Quiboloy’s alleged crimes which was launched on December 11, 2023.

Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution No. 884, directing the panel on women, which she heads, to look into the alleged involvement of Quiboloy and his sect in several criminal activities.

Among these cases are large-scale human trafficking, rape, and other rights abuses committed allegedly by KJC under Quiboloy’s leadership.

READ: TIMELINE: From Senate probe, filing of cases, to Quiboloy’s arrest

In the resolution, the opposition senator listed the allegations against Quiboloy and his group which included complaints and testimonies claiming that the televangelist demanded “strict obedience from his full-time followers through brainwashing, psychological manipulation and constant threats of eternal damnation.”

Allegations that Quiboloy maintained a “stable of women called pastorals”, or female mmbers of his group who were forced to go to bed with him, propelled the Senate investigation to trending heights.

Even in Quiboloy’s absence, the Senate panel on women began its probe into the sect leader’s alleged crimes on January 23, 2024.

After several hearings and shocking revelations made by victim-survivors who were also former members of KJC, Hontiveros decided to summon Quiboloy, but to no avail. The televangelist was defiant and mocking.

Instead, he evaded arrest and continued to taunt authorities.

On February 21, for instance, Quiboloy posted a video statement admitting that he was hiding because, according to him, there was a plot to assassinate him. Days after this, he used a riddle, through his social media page, teasing law enforcers about his whereabouts.

Ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, who admitted being a close friend of Quiboloy, also went on social media to say he knew where the televangelist was hiding but wouldn’t say it.

Duterte has been named administrator of KJC assets.

In April — while he was still in hiding — Quiboloy broke the ice and said he is ready to face the cases against him in the Philippines as long as authorities guarantee that the US government, which has filed criminal cases and tagged Quiboloy as among America’s most wanted, will not interfere.

Attempts were also made to apprehend the televangelist, but to no avail. Quiboloy successfully evaded the authorities.

The chase went on for a time with the final blow coming in August when at least 2,000 members of the Philippine National Police raided the KJC compound in Davao City as part of another attempt by the police to serve the arrest warrant against Quiboloy and other sect members.

This operation became controversial as it lasted 16 days and was considered “unprecedented in scale” in the country’s history and a test case for the provision in the Rules of Court that allowed law enforcers to break into buildings or enclosures,
according to police officials in Davao.

The more than two-week operation was what brought the televangelist to justice.

The aftermath

The self-proclaimed “appointed Son of God,” after an exhausting manhunt, was forced to face the laws of mortals. It was Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. who initially broke the news of Quiboloy’s arrest on September 8.

Shortly after his arrest, the televangelist was detained at the PNP custodial center in Camp Crame in Quezon City. He was also made to finally attend the Senate probe into his  alleged crimes, answering the allegations with blanket denial.

“There is no truth to what they are saying. If they have criminal charges against me, they are free to file charges and I will face them in a proper forum like the court just like what I’m doing right now,” Quiboloy said in Filipino when asked if he used religion as a tool to sexually abuse women, including children, members of KJC.

READ: Quiboloy denies sexual abuse allegations

What now?

Despite Quiboloy’s arrest, a bold move was still made when the televangelist vied for a Senate seat and filed a certificate of candidacy (COC) for the May 2025 elections.

According to the Commission on Elections, Quiboloy’s COC was filed by his representative.

READ: Apollo Quiboloy files COC for senator

Attempts were made to challenge Quiboloy’s senatorial bid and declare him as a nuisance candidate, but Comelec recently ruled in favor of the detained televangelist and denied the petition to disqualify him.

READ: Comelec junks DQ case vs Quiboloy

Prior to this, Hontiveros already made a scorching remark against Quiboloy upon discovering his senatorial bid. In a strongly worded statement, the opposition lawmaker said: “Apollo Quiboloy, magkaroon naman kayo ng kaunting hiya (Apollo Quiboloy, don’t you have any shame?)”

READ: Hontiveros on Quiboloy’s senatorial bid: Let’s not elect lawbreakers

She then warned Filipinos against electing “lawbreakers” as lawmakers.