As authorities continue their search for fugitive cult leader Apollo Quiboloy, his close ally and former president Rodrigo Duterte has divulged that he knows where the wanted child sex trafficker is hiding – but refuses to give him up.
Quiboloy is the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), a megachurch with its nerve center in Davao City – the bailiwick of the Duterte political dynasty. The self-styled “pastor” has been on the lam since March after the Senate issued an arrest warrant against him for contempt of court.
Prior to that, Quiboloy has been wanted in the United States on sex trafficking and human trafficking charges. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had accused the cult leader of recruiting females as personal assistants, or what his organization called “pastorals”, to fulfil a range of tasks including preparing his meals and having sexual intercourse with him.
The charges stemmed from a 2018 arrest, in which Quiboloy and several members of the KOJC were apprehended in Hawaii after customs agents found firearms and US$350,000 cash inside his private jet. Later that year, a former cult member testified to the FBI accusing the self-proclaimed pastor of molesting her as a child and that he was running a child sex trafficking ring.
In 2021, a U.S. court found enough evidence to indict Quiboloy on sex trafficking charges. The charges allege that he ran a sex trafficking ring involving minors as young as 12 and threatened victims with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse if they refused intercourse.
Despite the gravity of the crimes he is accused with, the cult leader had been able to avoid extradition to the U.S – thanks in part, if not largely to, having a close friend and ally as the head-of-state.
Former president Duterte anointed Quiboloy as his personal “spiritual adviser”, and the cult founder reciprocated the president’s support by platforming pro-Duterte propaganda in his own broadcasting network, SMNI News. This symbiotic relationship could explain how Quiboloy sidestepped arrest, or even criminal charges, domestically during the Duterte years.
However, the change in office also changed Quiboloy’s fortunes with President Bongbong Marcos being less inclined to protect the cult leader. Last December, Senator Risa Hontiveros moved that the Senate investigate if the KOJC’s sex trafficking charges in the U.S. also applied in the Philippines.
Despite repeated subpoenas, the KOJC’s founder persistently refused to appear before the Senate inquiry, prompting the Senate to issue an arrest order against Quiboloy last March.
Evidently, throughout this entire saga Quiboloy repeatedly claimed innocence and accused the Senate inquiry against him to be “politically-motivated“. But it begs to be asked: if Quiboloy is indeed innocent he should have faced the investigation and presented a defense.
After all, flight is an admission of guilt.
The charges against Quiboloy cannot be taken lightly, especially given the seriousness of the crimes he is accused of. Moreover, Duterte’s hand in helping the cult leader elude arrest should be taken just as seriously.
Harboring a fugitive, including withholding information to police on a fugitive’s whereabouts, is a clear case of obstruction of justice. The Philippine National Police (PNP) have already indicated that they are studying possible charges against the former president, but the evidence could not be any more clear-cut.
The police may take a break from its search for the fugitive cult leader and instead turn their sights on Rodrigo Duterte, and file the appropriate charges against him for harboring a fugitive and obstructing justice.
This will not only send the message that the Philippines does not tolerate human and sex trafficking, but will also be proof that our justice system is working and even a powerful, prominent person like Apollo Quiboloy can be held accountable to the law.