Apollo Quiboloy

From Wikipilipinas
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Apollo Carreon Quiboloy (born 25 April 1950) is a pastor and the leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC). A known ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, he was previously a member of the United Pentecostal Church, a Pentecostal church based in the United States. Expelled once from the organization for unorthodox teaching, Quiboloy founded the KJC in 1985 and has since made claims to being the “Appointed Son of God” and the “Owner of the Universe.”

Quiboloy owns Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), a broadcast television and radio network based on Davao. In 2021, the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placed him in its Most Wanted list 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. A federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

Early Life and Education

Quiboloy was born on 25 April 1950 in Tamayong, Davao. He is the youngest of nine children José Quiboloy y Turla and María Carreón y Quinto who were both natives of Lubao, Pampanga. His parents moved to Davao to find better opportunities. Apollo spent his formative years in Pampanga before moving to Davao.

He then went to Bible College. The opportunity came with a free boat trip to Manila, free tuition, and free board and lodging. He graduated from Bible College in 1972, where he learned the gift of preaching. He became known as the “preaching machine” for being able to preach as much as seven times a day.

Quiboloy’s father Jose was already a Protestant but converted to Oneness Pentecostalism with his four sons. They became preachers and leaders in the United Pentecostal Church of the Philippines (UPCP), which is affiliated to the US-based United Pentecostal Church International.

In 1973, he was sent to join the International Youth Corps World Conference in Seoul, South Korea. He was the only Filipino and the only Asian among the American and Canadian youth delegates. In 1974, he became president of the UPCP Youth Organization but was expelled from the UPCP in 1979 for unorthodox teachings.

He was accepted back into the fold in 1980 and became pastor of the Agdao Church in Davao. He was put under investigation in 1985 for his alleged arrogance towards other pastors. Rather than submitting to trial, he left UPCP with some of its followers in September 1985 and founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC).

Career

The organization quickly grew in numbers. In 2000, Quiboloy founded José María College, a private, nonsectarian school in Davao which he named after his parents.

Quiboloy also oversees the operation of Sonshine Media Network International, a broadcasting network launched in 1989. It is a string of 17 radio stations, newspapers, and magazines. Pinas is circulated weekly for followers in North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

He also founded Sonshine Sports Management in June 2014 in Davao. It organizes different boxing and basketball events within the city.

Kingdom of Jesus Christ

After leaving UPCP, Quiboloy established the Kingdom of Jesus Christ on 1 September 1985 in a small chapel in Agdao, Davao with only 15 members.

The sect claims to six million citizens in 200 countries and 2,000 cities all over the world. Its main Cathedral is located along Buhangin National Highway in Davao. On weekdays, its members hold bible sessions and prayer services. On Sundays, they hold a “Global Worship” at its main cathedral.

Quiboloy, who claims to be the “Appointed Son of God,” claims possession of divine powers. He claimed of being able to stop the 2019 Cotabato earthquake at his command and that the public should thank him for the act. The quake left at least 8 people dead and nearly 400 others injured.

Political involvement

In 2010, Quiboloy anointed Gibo Teodoro as the next president. However, the latter finished fourth in the presidential election with 4,095,839 votes.

In 2016, Quiboloy endorsed the candidacy of his close friend, then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his running mate Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. He also lent his private jet and helicopter to be used in Duterte’s campaign.

Duterte admitted to receiving valuable gifts from Quiboloy throughout the course of their 30-year friendship. Among those were three properties in Woodridge Park, Ma-a, Davao City, a Nissan Safari, and a Ford Expedition.

Controversies

Alleged land grabbing

A 8-hectare compound houses the headquarters of KJC, Quiboloy’s mansion, and the Jose Maria College.

Quiboloy has been accused of land grabbing mostly from indigenous people as a bid to expound his compound in Davao City. In 2008, the New People’s Army (NPA) accused Quiboloy of killing K’lata-Bagobos leader Datu Domingo Diarog and his family after they refused to sell their land to the pastor. Quiboloy denied these “baseless” accusations.

In 2014, a Lumad group from Barangay Manuel Guianga decried the forceful entry of 40 armed men, allegedly hired by Quiboloy, who ordered them to leave their homes for Quiboloy to be able to extend his “kingdom.”

ABSCBN shutdown

In 2019, Quiboloy accepted Vice Ganda’s challenge of stopping the longest-running teleserye Ang Probinsyano, He threatened not only to end the show but even ABSCBN.

Quiboloy is a known ally of President Duterte who threatened not to renew the TV network’s franchise in Congress. In July 2020, the Philippine lawmakers formally shut down the country’s largest broadcast network as Duterte cracks down on outlets that have been critical of his leadership. After 13 hearings of a committee of the House of Representatives, the majority voted to deny ABSCBN’s application for renewal of its broadcast franchise. They had been forced off the air in May 2020.

FBI’s Most Wanted

Quiboloy is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought members of his church to the United States via fraudulently obtained visas. Also, he allegedly forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity as these were actually used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyle of its leaders.

Church members who proved successful at soliciting allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the US.

It is also alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants or “pastorals” for Quiboloy. His victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave his massages, and were required to have sex with him in what was called “night duty.”

He was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, 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; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. On 10 November 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

Also in 2018, the Hawaii church manager of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ was sentenced to 30 days in prison for lying about a suitcase with hidden cash found in Quiboloy’s flight back to the Philippines. Felina Salinas also meted with a USD 500 fine for failing to declare over USD 335,000 in cash in a private jet that was used to fly Quiboloy back to the country in 2018. Her charges were downgraded from cash smuggling after entering a deal with prosecutors.

She only declared carrying USD 25,000 and Php 1,000 in cash but federal agents who inspected the plane found USD 335,000 and AUD 9,000. Salinas claimed ownership of the case but authorities found it belonged to Quiboloy.


References



Citation

Wiki.png

Original content from WikiPilipinas. under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Apollo_Quiboloy&oldid=18901"