CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – A regional court has ordered the arrest of embattled doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy and several others for child abuse and sexual abuse, a copy of the warrant obtained by Rappler on Wednesday, April 3, showed.

Must Read

PRIMER: Investigations, cases against Apollo Quiboloy

Judge Dante Baguio of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 12 in the Davao region issued the arrest warrant on March 14 against Quiboloy and five of his associates identified as Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemañes.

Play Video

“Upon a judicious examination and perusal of the Information, the records of the preliminary investigation, including the affidavits and written statements, and other attachments to the Information, the Court finds probable cause to issue Warrant of Arrest,” the court order said.

Earlier on March 19, the Senate had ordered the arrest of Quiboloy for “unduly refusing to appear” at the upper chamber’s inquiry into his alleged human rights abuses.

The Senate committee on women children, family relations, and gender equality led by Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros conducted hearings into allegations of “large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence, and child abuse” in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).

Former members testified about alleged abuses of Quiboloy and his church associates before the committee in hearings that started in January. 

Their testimonies – including that of two Ukrainian women – alleged that the KOJC pastor sexually abused them in the name of religion. These are consistent with, and corroborated by, other allegations also made by former KOJC members in the US against Quiboloy.

Quiboloy and eight of his associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in a US District Court in Santa Ana, California, in 2021. The Davao-based preacher is on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) most wanted list.

An FBI poster says that Quiboloy is “wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.

‘Happy days numbered’

Hontiveros welcomed the issuance of a court arrest warrant and expressed optimism that Quiboloy would be arrested in time for the next hearing of the Senate committee.

“Bilang na ang masasayang araw ni Apollo Quiboloy. Halos lahat na ng institusyon sa Pilipinas ay gumagalaw para mapanagot siya,” she said.

(The happy days of Apollo Quiboloy are numbered. Almost all institutions in the Philippines are moving to hold him accountable.)

Hontiveros, addressing Quiboloy, urged the controversial preacher to face the accusations leveled at him, submit to legal processes, and “huwag nang mag-inarte (stop the theatrics).”

“Kung walang kasalanan, hindi kailangang magtago,” she added.

(If he’s innocent, then there’s no need for him to hide.)

‘Four long years’

The child and sexual abuse case against Quiboloy was filed in court after the Department of Justice (DOJ) reviewed and overturned a June 29, 2020 resolution by Davao City prosecutors that dismissed the alleged victim’s complaint. The Davao City Prosecutor’s Office also threw out her motion for reconsideration.

The alleged victim, a former KOJC worker, filed a petition for review the resolution and her complaints for rape, qualified human trafficking, and child abuse. Her petition gathered dust at the DOJ for four years.

The DOJ, in its resolution in early March, noted that the allegations of abuse date back to 2011, and that the alleged victim claimed to have been raped when she was still a minor in September 2014.

She also alleged to have suffered emotional and physical mistreatment, and forced labor without compensation, all in the name of religion. 

Four years later, the justice department acted on the petition and ruled that “there exists probable cause against Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy for the crime of sexual abuse of a minor, under Section 5(b) of the Republic Act No. 7610, as well as against Quiboloy and co- respondents for qualified human trafficking and other acts of child abuse.”

In a March statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla noted that the petition for review “lingered unresolved for four long years.” 

“Our foremost aim is to achieve justice within the Philippines, grounded firmly on the evidence presented and the statutes of our legal system…. This case represents a significant step towards addressing and rectifying injustices suffered by vulnerable members of our society, particularly children, and reinforces the legal framework protecting them from abuse and exploitation,” read part of Remulla’s statement. – Rappler.com