CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros issued a stern warning to Davao-based doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy on Wednesday, February 21, threatening to cite him in contempt and order his arrest if he fails to appear at the March 5 hearing of the Senate panel probing alleged abuses against his former followers and full-time church workers.

“Our next hearing is on March 5 and if Mr. Quiboloy does not show up, I will cite him in contempt and have him arrested,” said Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality leading the probe.

The warning came in response to an audio recording circulating on social media, purportedly Quiboloy claiming he was in hiding due to alleged threats to his life.

In one moment, the man’s voice cracked, exuding anxiety and fear, and on the verge of tears; in the next, he transformed into a furious advocate for a cause, boldly declaring that he would lead the nation.

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Quiboloy’s alleged audio recording, posted on the Facebook page “Depensa Pinas” hours earlier, claimed that the preacher was facing political persecution due to his close association with former president Rodrigo Duterte. 

The Facebook account was created on December 15, 2023, just four months after Quiboloy’s page was removed by Meta, the company which owns Facebook, due to violation of its community standards.

Former Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) workers said they were certain that the voice in the recording was that of the man they once venerated as the “appointed son of God.”

“Being with him (Quiboloy) closely for 17 years, it’s him…. He’s been sleepless and restless to the core. I know the intensity of his expression…. He’s gnashing his teeth now,” one former KOJC full-time worker told Rappler.

Conspiracy theory

In Quiboloy’s supposed audio recording, he claimed his constitutional rights were being infringed upon and suggested that he and other KOJC leaders were targets for assassination by the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

He claimed he was under surveillance by the CIA and FBI, and alleged that drones were being used to spy on him. He added that there was a $2-million bounty on his head.

“Hindi po kami makatulog; hindi po kami mapakali…. Ako po ay hindi magpapa-aresto sapagkat ako po ay siguradong papatayin,” he said.

(We can’t sleep; we can’t find peace…. I will not allow myself to be arrested because I will surely get killed.)

He insinuated that the Marcos administration, including First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, collaborated with the CIA, FBI, Hontiveros, and various left-leaning members of the House of Representatives against him.

Quiboloy has been subpoenaed by Hontiveros’ committee, which is conducting hearings where numerous former KOJC workers detailed their experiences of exploitation, sexual abuse, torture, and other forms of mistreatment allegedly at the hands of Quiboloy and his group.

In late 2021, the doomsday preacher was placed in the FBI’s most wanted list after he and several of his church associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California.

They were charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, marriage fraud, fraud and misuse of visas, bulk cash smuggling, promotional money laundering, concealment money laundering, and international promotional money laundering.

Hontiveros dismissed the assassination and conspiracy theories, cautioning Quiboloy about the repercussions of his defiance.

“‘Wag pong pa-victim. Ang hinihingi lang sa inyo ay humarap sa mga legal na proseso, kasama ang proseso ng Senate investigation. ‘Wag ‘nyo pong dalhin sa lengwahe ng patayan, kahit ‘yan ang nakasanayan ‘nyo,” said Hontiveros.

(Don’t play the victim card. All that’s being asked of you is to face the legal processes, including the Senate investigation. Don’t bring it down to the language of violence, even if that’s what you’re accustomed to.) – Rappler.com