Reward offered for capture of Quiboloy, former spiritual adviser to Philippine President Duterte

A group of Filipino citizens on Monday offered 10 million pesos ($170,760) for information leading to the capture of President Rodrigo Duterte’s former spiritual adviser, who is wanted for alleged sex crimes in the Philippines and the United States.

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. announced the reward for fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed son of God who leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), which is said to have 6 million followers in the Philippines and abroad.

Quiboloy, 73, is wanted in the Philippines on charges of sexual abuse, child abuse and trafficking, and also faces the same charges in the United States.

Abalos said the reward was collected by unidentified individuals frustrated by the slow pace of justice in bringing Quiboloy to justice.

“It’s very simple. If you are truly innocent, Pastor Quiboloy, there is a court. Surrender and face the charges against you like any ordinary person,” Abalos said at a news conference. “It’s simple. The law is the law.”

Asked if Quiboloy was still in the Philippines, Abalos said: “Well, as of now, our intelligence indicates that he is still… inside the country.”

Anyone who helps Quiboloy hide from authorities could be charged with obstruction of justice under Philippine law, warned national police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, who sat with Abalos at the news conference.

Marbil said police are also looking into whether Duterte could be charged with aiding and abetting Quiboloy after the former president publicly said on June 30 that he knew the location of his religious adviser but would not disclose it.

Last month, Duterte accused the government of persecuting Quiboloy, calling raids on the televangelist’s known properties in Davao City “exaggerated.”

In November 2021, a U.S. grand jury indicted Quiboloy on suspicion of orchestrating a sex trafficking operation that coerced girls as young as 12 into having sex with him or facing “eternal damnation,” federal prosecutors said.

U.S. prosecutors said the televangelist recruited girls and young women, ages 12 to 25, to work as personal assistants or “pastoralists” at his church. KOJC has branches in California.

According to the charges brought against him by U.S. authorities, Quiboloy faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted of sex trafficking, and five to 20 years if convicted of fraud and money laundering.

Quiboloy founded the KOJC in 1985. The sect and his name gained national prominence when his friend, Duterte, was elected president of the Philippines in 2016.

In March, the church of Quiboloy appointed Duterte as administrator of his properties, while he went into hiding to escape arrest sexual assault allegations in the USA.

Quiboloy also has refused to appear before the Philippine Senate, which had conducted an investigation into the allegations against him.

Duterte once publicly admitted to receiving expensive cars and belongings from Quiboloy when he was mayor of Davao City, although he claimed to have returned them.

Jeoffrey Maitem and Mark Navales contributed to this report from Davao City, Philippines.