Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder of the Philippine-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) (Photo courtesy of Quiboloy FB page))
DAVAO CITY – The camp of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder of the Philippine-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), on Friday said their leader and the entire Kingdom nation would not be brought down over a malicious issue on sex trafficking.
The statement came after a federal grand jury in the United States (US) indicted Quiboloy, over an alleged scheme that coerced girls and young women to have sex with him under threats of “eternal damnation”.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the new indictment, released on November 18, charged Quiboloy and two other top church officials - Teresita Dandan and Felina Salinas - with participating in a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, as well as the sex trafficking of children.
“The people who accused him today in California, are the same dissidents who miserably failed in their attempt to bring Pastor Quiboloy into the case in Hawaii. Our heart goes to Pastor Quiboloy and to all the Kingdom leaders who were maliciously accused in this present controversy,” the statement said.
Despite the charges pressed against the church leader, his legal counsel said the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, and all its followers remain steadfast and committed to faithfully responding to its mission, its ministry, and its divine calling despite all the detraction efforts made against them.
“People may have tried to silence Pastor Quiboloy, but they cannot put down the Kingdom nation. They will never detract from the mission and the ministry of The Kingdom. It will never stop. It will go on forever,” the statement added.
They said that with the growing ministry and followers of the Kingdom comes also the growing opposition who are trying their best to destroy it and all its leaders.
“We are confident and ready to face whatever is hurled against Pastor Quiboloy and the Kingdom leaders. We trust the process of justice and we certainly expect the truth to prevail, and the Kingdom ministry will continue to prosper,” the statement said.
Indicted
According to the US DOJ, three of the five female victims were minors when the alleged sex trafficking began.
The victims allegedly prepared Quiboloy’s meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages, and were required to have sex with him in what the pastorals called the "night duty," the agency said.
“Defendant Quiboloy and other KOJC administrators coerced pastorals into performing ‘night duty’ – that is, sex – with defendant Quiboloy under the threat of physical and verbal abuse and eternal damnation by defendant Quiboloy and other KOJC administrators,” the indictment asserted.
“Defendant Quiboloy and other KOJC administrators told pastorals that performing ‘night duty’ was ‘God’s will’ and a privilege, as well as a necessary demonstration of the pastoral’s commitment to give her body to defendant Quiboloy as ‘The Appointed Son of God,” it said.
The US DOJ said the nine defendants are charged with participating in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the US, "via fraudulently obtained" visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity "that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders."
Three of the new defendants were arrested on November 18 by federal authorities and are expected to make their initial appearance at the US District Court in Los Angeles and Honolulu.
The remaining three, including Quiboloy, are believed to be in the Philippines, the US DOJ said.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime.
The US DOJ said every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
An ongoing investigation into KOJC, meanwhile, is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and other US agencies. (PNA)
