MANILA (UCAN): Philippine authorities have announced a 10-million peso [US$171,000] bounty for information leading to the capture of controversial Filipino preacher and self-proclaimed ‘Son of God’, Apollo Quiboloy.
Quiboloy, known as a spiritual advisor to former president, Rodrigo Duterte, is the founder and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ [KJC], a contentious religious sect, that reportedly has six million members.
He fled the US after the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] listed him as a wanted criminal. A US federal grand jury convicted him for various crimes including human trafficking and sex abuse.
Activists say Quiboloy should also face other charges for his questionable actions in the Philippines.
“Quiboloy should not only answer for the crimes that he is indicted for in the United States but he should also be made accountable for the endangerment of individuals and groups red-tagged through SMNI,” Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of rights group Karapatan, said on July 11.
Quiboloy should not only answer for the crimes that he is indicted for in the United States but he should also be made accountable for the endangerment of individuals and groups red-tagged through SMNI
Cristina Palabay
SMNI or Sonshine Media Network International, is a broadcast media company of the KJC headed by Quiboloy. The network broadcasts his speeches and preaching that reportedly draws thousands of people.
According to Palabay, Quiboloy “facilitated the distribution and dissemination of disinformation, fabricated lies, and threats against many people.”
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the current Philippine president, called for Quiboloy to show himself after the bounty was raised by different organisations to help the government capture the controversial televangelist.
“Now, if there are private citizens who want to assist the government in that effort to bring him to justice, I do not see what is any… he can question their motives as much as he wants,” Marcos told reporters on July 10, adding that “they [private donors who raised the bounty] want to help us bring a fugitive to justice.”
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Marcos added, “You know, he is a fugitive. He is hiding from the law.”
Unconfirmed media reports say Quiboloy was recently seen with Duterte in Davao City in Mindanao. Duterte is a former mayor
In a statement to the media, Quiboloy’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said on July 9 that the government’s bounty was “a surprisingly disproportionate reward for Pastor Quiboloy.”
Quiboloy who fled to the Philippines during the tenure of Duterte has reportedly developed a strong friendship with the controversial ex-president, who is also facing a series of criminal charges including human rights violations and graft.
The International Criminal Court aims to probe and try Duterte for crimes against humanity for his much-criticised war on drugs that left thousands of suspected drug users and sellers killed extrajudicially.
Unconfirmed media reports say Quiboloy was recently seen with Duterte in Davao City in Mindanao. Duterte is a former mayor.
Meanwhile, in April, two local courts issued arrest orders for Quiboloy and five other associates for alleged human trafficking, child molestations, and other human rights abuses.
Earlier, the FBI accused him of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling, among others.
He was temporarily detained in Hawaii in 2018 after authorities found US$350,000 in cash and rifle parts in his private plane, but he fled to the Philippines.
Last year, YouTube banned his two channels, accusing him of using the channels to reach out to victims of his alleged sex crimes.
