(Manila) A Filipino pastor wanted in the United States for sexually assaulting children and young women was arrested Sunday in the Philippines, two weeks after the start of a manhunt for the preacher close to former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Apollo Quiboloy, self-proclaimed “son of God” and spiritual advisor to Rodrigo Duterte, founded the sect called Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) in the Philippines.
The pastor was arrested with four members of his sect at the headquarters of the organization in the city of Davao (south), after negotiations between his representatives, the police and the army, Philippine police spokesperson Jean Fajardo told the press.
“This afternoon they negotiated their peaceful surrender after we gave them a 24-hour ultimatum,” she said.
They were then transferred by military plane to Manila where they will be held for trial on charges of “child abuse, sexual assault and aggravated human trafficking,” Mr.me Fajardo.
“Apollo Quiboloy has been arrested,” Interior Minister Benjamin Abalos announced earlier on his Facebook page.
Some 2,000 police officers were deployed to the sect’s headquarters on August 24 to enforce an arrest warrant.
“This is a concerted effort by everyone involved,” said Nicolas Torre, the regional police chief who led the operation. “Let’s be proud, today we did our job,” he said.
From 12 to 25 years old
In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Apollo Quiboloy and two other men with sexually exploiting girls and women, ages 12 to 25, between 2002 and at least 2018.
According to the indictment, the pastor brought “girls and young women” to the United States as personal assistants before forcing them to have sex with him or face “eternal damnation.”
“The victims prepared Apollo Quiboloy’s meals, cleaned his residences, massaged him and were required to have sexual relations with him,” which they called “night service,” the American justice system said.
Some were then to raise money to finance the “lavish lifestyle” of the group’s leaders, including Apollo Quiboloy, who owned large residences in Hawaii, Las Vegas and an upscale suburb of Los Angeles.
In February, in an audio message posted on his Sonshine Media television YouTube channel, Mr. Quiboloy announced that he was going into hiding for fear of “kidnapping or assassination” by the U.S. and Philippine governments.
Philippine authorities have not said whether the United States has requested the extradition of Mr. Quiboloy, who is at least 74 years old according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The US Embassy in the Philippines refers all inquiries to the country’s authorities.
Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara – a former vice president of the Philippines who left the government of President Ferdinand Marcos in late June – have openly criticized the police raid in August on the sect’s 30-hectare property.
Minutes after Mr. Quiboloy’s arrest, a Philippine television station controlled by the sect posted photos on its Facebook page of members kissing police officers.
“It is evident that the KOJC missionaries have adhered to the teachings of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to love not only their neighbors, but also their enemies,” read a message accompanying the photos.