Quiboloy says ‘persecution’ part of job as ‘Appointed Son’

Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy over the weekend said the sex trafficking allegations against him come with being the "Appointed Son of God," as he describes himself.

In a live video posted on his official Facebook page on Sunday evening, Quiboloy acknowledged his legal team, as he noted the cases filed against him in the United States.

“Mahirap ang ‘Appointed Son’ kasi ginagawa mo na ang kalooban ng lahat ng Ama, pero gagawin ka pang masama, pagwiwikaan ng masama, ididikit sa’yo ang lahat ng putik,” he said.

(It is hard being ‘Appointed Son’ because you are doing all the responsibilities handed down by the Father and they make you out to be evil, criticize you, throw mud at you.)

Quiboloy is currently wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for "conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; bulk cash smuggling." He is accused of participating in a labor trafficking scheme which reportedly brought church members to the US through fraudulently obtained visas, and force them to solicit donations for a bogus charity.

The FBI said members who were successful at soliciting were forced into “sham marriages” or secure fraudulent student visas to continue their solicitation efforts.

The agency also noted allegations that females were employed as personal assistants or “pastorals” for Quiboloy, preparing meals, cleaning his residences, giving him massages, and required to have sex with him.

“Alam ninyo, mahirap ang maging ‘Appointed Son,’ lahat ng kasalanan ibabato sa iyo. Sa ulat ng sinabi ng Matthew chapter 5, diba [You know, it is difficult being ‘Appointed Son. All sins will be thrown against you. Like what is written in Matthew chapter 5], ‘Blessed are you when men shall persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake’,” he said.

“Walang matapang na magtatangkang ganyan, kasi ang tao iniingatan niya pangalan niya, reputasyon niya. Ako, ‘pag sinabi ng Amang banggain mo si Satanas, babanggain ko talaga siya, gaano man siya kaputik. Putikan man siya, labo labo kami diyan sa putik,” he added.

(There is no one brave enough to attempt that, because people take care of their names, their reputation. When the Father says fight with Satan, I will really fight with him no matter how muddy.)

Quiboloy—who has said that the Omicron variant is due to the allegations against him, and warned the public to stop “persecuting, prosecuting, and maligning” him, or else face more from the COVID-19 pandemic—is a close friend and adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte. He earlier prayed over former senator and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Duterte's daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, for their respective bids in the coming elections.

Earlier on Sunday, Quiboloy’s legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio questioned the timing of the release of the FBI's “most wanted” poster, claiming it was “very suspect” as the indictment was made last year.

“Why wait until now to release the poster when the campaign for the national elections is about to start?” Topacio said in Filipino in a virtual press conference.

The Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) timeline indicates that the campaign period for the 2022 national polls will start on Tuesday, February 8.

Quiboloy and two other US-based church administrators were indicted in the United States in November 2021 for allegedly running a sex trafficking operation which threatened victims as young as 12 with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse. — BM, GMA News