The Philippine National Police (PNP) disclosed yesterday that five minors have come forward to accuse Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy of rape.
In a press conference held in Camp Rafael Crame in Quezon City, PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said the victims, some as young as 12 and 13 years old, are reportedly bound by a code of secrecy with the so-called “Appointed Son of God.”
“After sex, Quiboloy allegedly told them that their womanhood is still pure and intact because they got intimate with the spirit of God,” Fajardo citing the testimonies of the sexual abuse victims.
Quiboloy also allegedly warned his young victims that an “angel of death” will be upon them if they break this alleged secrecy vow.
“The children are being threatened that angels of death will go after them if they break the code of secrecy,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo said the police are now looking into reports of the existence of the group which is part of the alleged “systematic abuse” within the religious sect.
“Those whom we talked to fear not only for themselves, their own lives but also for their family because of the Angels of Death. So I want to take this opportunity to call on other victims of Pastor Quiboloy, those who claim they have been molested, especially the children, to come forward. The government is ready to protect you. You don’t have to fear anything),” she added.
Without giving further details, Fajardo said she was horrified over the revelations of some victims.
The PNP official said the parents of these children would also be held liable once it would be proven that they lured them into being victims of the abuse by the evangelist.
She added that the children were allegedly told by the group that such acts were their “passes to heaven”.
Quiboloy’s legal counsel Mark Tolentino, meanwhile, denied these allegations.
Fajardo, meanwhile, said media coverage will not be allowed inside the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 159 for the arraignment of Quiboloy and his co-accused on qualified human trafficking charges set on Friday.
Quiboloy for years cultivated an image as a charismatic spiritual leader with divine powers, earning him millions of followers, a lavish lifestyle and powerful friends in the country’s political elite.
“These courageous victims have spoken up, revealing their harrowing experiences. The abuse they endured shows an alarming pattern of manipulation and exploitation,” PNP chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said in a statement.
They included girls as young as 12 and were part of a group of what police called “inner-circle pastorals” who have been crucial in uncovering the full extent of Quiboloy’s alleged crimes, Marbil added.
Quiboloy is on the most wanted list of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, where he was charged with running a sex-trafficking operation that threatened young victims with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse, among other crimes.
Meanwhile, Marbil said that the police were verifying information provided by an undisclosed number of victims to strengthen the criminal charges against Quiboloy.
Marbil also urged the victims of the religious leader, who were suffering in silence to come forward and assured them protection.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “We will leave no stone unturned in this pursuit of justice.”
