‘Aimed to acquire 1,000 women’: Philippine police reveal new evidence of abuse by Quiboloy

‘Quiboloy aimed to acquire 1,000 women anchored on the biblical story of Solomon,’ a top police official testified before a senate hearing

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Filipino televangelist Apollo Quiboloy takes the oath during a Senate investigation in Manila on October 23. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:05am, 24 Oct 2024Updated: 9:07am, 24 Oct 2024

Religious leader Apollo Quiboloy is facing explosive new allegations of sexual exploitation, with Philippine police presenting evidence before a Senate hearing supporting the accusations he coerced hundreds of members of his church into sex acts through threats and manipulation.

Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, acting director of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and Davao City Police Chief Colonel Hansel Marantan presented the evidence – including photos of a jacuzzi and king-size bed where Quiboloy allegedly assaulted his victims – on Wednesday before a Senate committee investigating the pastor and his group’s alleged abuses.

Quiboloy, 76, is the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church and self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God”. He faces numerous allegations, including sex trafficking, coercion, and abuse, with cases filed both in the Philippines and the US.

Arrested in September after a two-month stand-off with police at the KOJC compound in Davao City, Quiboloy has denied the charges but could face extradition to the US if not convicted locally.

Torre and Marantan explained that Quiboloy selected women from the KOJC congregation, referring to them as “pastorals”, and from this group he allegedly hand-picked an “inner pastorals” circle.

“Through his preaching with the inner pastorals, Quiboloy aimed to acquire 1,000 women anchored on the biblical story of Solomon, King of Israel, who had 700 wives and 300 concubines,” Marantan said, citing testimonies gathered both locally and as far away as Europe.