Senate eyes probe on Quiboloy church

Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence and child abuse of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, under the leadership of its founder, Apollo Quiboloy.

In her Senate Resolution 884, Hontiveros said that "considering that the crimes were committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines and considering that crimes are taking place even at present as Quiboloy remains free to run the operations of KOJC, an investigation must be undertaken with dispatch."

"An investigation in aid of legislation will also allow us to determine whether our updated human trafficking laws can cover large-scale and systemic acts of trafficking done under the cover of a religious organization," the resolution read.

Quiboloy, who served as the spiritual adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is declared one of the most wanted suspected sex traffickers by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

In 2021, a Federal Grand Jury in California indicted the religious leader and other officials of KOJC over sex trafficking of "pastorals" — young women within the KOJC selected to work as personal assistants for Quiboloy.

Citing unnamed informants, the resolution said that the pastorals are divided into the "inner circle" and the "inner of the innermost circle", with the latter category being made to perform acts of a sexual nature and the former category being made to perform other personal tasks such as washing Quiboloy's clothes, bathing him, cleaning his bedroom and massaging him.

"Some of these pastorals were still minors during their recruitment and during the period they were made to perform sexual services," it said.

"Apollo Quiboloy allegedly coerces the members of the organization – many of whom are minors – to perform exploitative acts, such as begging in the streets and soliciting money from strangers," it added.

Last year, the religious leader was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control among other 40 individuals and entities that were sanctioned due to their supposed connection to corruption or human rights abuse across nine countries.

Under the sanction, Quiboloy will also be blocked from any entities that he owned, directly or indirectly.