Quiboloy may face Philippine investigation, Guevarra says

The Philippine government may investigate Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, based on the evidence US authorities have gathered, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Wednesday.

US prosecutors have filed sex-trafficking charges against Quiboloy for allegedly coercing girls and young women to have sex with him.

“We’ll wait for the evidence gathered by the US Department of Justice (US-DOJ) and determine if a separate probe by our DOJ is warranted,” Guevarra told the reporters when asked if the Philippine government will conduct its own probe.

But Guevarra said there are no further developments yet in the US case.

Earlier, the DOJ said there is no extradition request yet filed by the US Embassy in connection with the charges against the pastor. 

Quiboloy and other church officials, including two US-based church administrators, have been charged for running a sex-trafficking operation that threatened victims as young as 12 with "eternal damnation" and physical abuse.

Quiboloy and five other church members had faced rape, child abuse, and human trafficking complaints that were dropped by the Davao City Prosecutor's Office in 2020, citing lack of evidence.

Recently, the religious leader ordered the public to stop "persecuting, prosecuting, and maligning" him, or suffer more from the pandemic.

He said the pandemic will only stop if he is freed from his charges.

Meanwhile, the KJC legal counsel maintained that the charges filed against Quiboloy are part of "a vicious attempt" to bring down their leader.

Also, the legal counsel vowed they will never detract from the church and its mission. —LBG, GMA News