Filipino “Son of God” priest pleads not guilty to child abuse and human trafficking charges, Asia News

MANILA – Filipino star pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God,” pleaded not guilty to several charges, including sexual abuse of a child, during his arraignment in two different courts on Friday (September 13), his lawyer said.

Quiboloy, head of the Philippines-based Church of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), which says it has six million followers worldwide, arrived at the heavily guarded court in Pasig wearing a bulletproof helmet and vest.

He urged his supporters to “stay strong” before police led him into the courtroom.

“He is innocent,” his lawyer, Israelito Torreon, told reporters after his client's initial arraignment. Quiboloy also pleaded not guilty to the sexual abuse charge before a Quezon City court via teleconference.

Quiboloy, a longtime friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte, is on the U.S. FBI's most wanted list after being charged with sexual abuse, human trafficking and other crimes.

He will remain in custody at police headquarters for the time being, police said.

The 74-year-old pastor was arrested on Sunday after a police operation lasting several weeks on the 30-hectare KOJC site in the south of Davao City.

According to police, after his arrest, other people came forward claiming to have been sexually abused by him.

“We firmly believe that the truth about the alleged criminal acts of Apollo C. Quiboloy and his co-defendants will eventually come to light,” Joahna Paula Domingo, a co-counsel for one of the alleged victims, said in a statement.

“These cases were filed in 2019 and since then we have long sought justice for the plaintiff,” she said.

In a statement issued by the KOJC before Quiboloy's indictment, the church's statement said its “cardinal rule” is that its members “will not be forced to do anything against their will.”

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