Former President Rodrigo Duterte has been appointed administrator of the properties of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the religious sect’s media arm Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) announced on social media yesterday.
KOJC’s counsel Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes said Duterte’s appointment will ensure continuous operations of the group, which she described as “beset on all sides by challenges.”
KOJC is led by its founder Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A California judge on Thursday ordered the unsealing of the arrest warrants against Quiboloy and his co-accused, bringing the case a step closer toward extraditing the pastor for charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and cash smuggling.
Duterte and Quiboloy have enjoyed close political and economic tiesfor decades. Both are known influential public figures, especially in Davao City and across Mindanao.
Quiboloy has publicly acknowledged his deep friendship with Duterte since his days as Davao City mayor, likening him to an older brother.
“He’s become an older brother to me. Whatever I have, he will also have. We have one chewing gum left, he would divide it into two and tell me, ‘Pastor, hating kapatid,” Quiboloy once said of Duterte in a Facebook post.
Fuentes said part of Duterte’s duties as administrator includepreserving, retaining, maintaining, and managing the properties of KOJC in the Philippines.
“Some might try to take over the properties. The kingdom will oppose that, and because of that they [KOJC] asked the help of former President Duterte,” she said in an interview over SMNI.
“Anytime any of them [Quiboloy or executive pastor Marlon Acobo] becomes incapacitated, former President Duterte can step in,” Fuente said.
The Department of Justice, for its part, said there is no request yet received from the United States government for the extradition of Quiboloy.
“There is no extradition request received yet by the DOJ from the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs),” DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said.
Clavano declined to comment on what would happen should Quiboloy’s extradition be requested.
“It’s difficult, however, to speak about hypothetical situations,” he said.
DOJ prosecutors are set to file against Quiboloy charges for sexual abuse of a minor under Section 5(b) of Republic Act (RA) 7610, also known as the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, which he allegedly committed in 2011 against a female who was 17 years old then.
Quiboloy will also be charged along with five other persons for other acts of child abuse, cruelty and exploitation as well as qualified human trafficking.
“The government’s goal is to attain justice in whatever form and through the best forum,” Clavano said.
“The decision to file the charges came as a result of almost a year of verifying the evidence on record as well as the identity of the alleged victim,” he added.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said she is open to Quiboloy testifying onlinebefore the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality which she chairs, Senator JV Ejercito said.
Ejercito said testifying online will be practical given Quiboloy’s concern for his security.
“I would think so for security reasons for him and the Senate as a whole… If we can avoid trouble, we should do it,” he said.