Another Satanic megachurch brought down--this one in the Philippines
Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound raided; Apollo Quiboloy in hiding
Standoff as police close in on 'Son of God' pastor
BBC
Police believe Quiboloy is hiding in an underground bunker.
August 25, 2024 - A standoff has erupted in the Philippines as thousands of police officers descended on a sprawling religious compound in search of an influential pastor who has been accused of child sex trafficking amongst other crimes.
Police say they will not leave until they have found Apollo Quiboloy, who calls himself the "appointed Son of God".
He is believed to be hiding inside his 30 hectare (75 acres) complex, which houses some 40 buildings, including a cathedral, a school and even a hangar.
Authorities have been on the hunt for Quiboloy for months. He had earlier said he would "not be caught alive".
Police raided the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound late on Saturday, with reports saying they later used tear gas against Quiboloy's followers who had become "unruly and violent", Davao police spokesperson Major Catherina dela Rey told news outlet Rappler.
Hundreds of Quiboloy's followers have blocked parts of a major highway in an attempt to disrupt traffic to the compound.
They maintain his innocence, saying allegations against him are fabricated.
One supporter of the group died from a heart attack during the police raid.
Police believe Quiboloy is hiding in an underground bunker based on equipment that is believed to be able to detect people behind walls based on their heartbeat, said Maj dela Rey.
Quiboloy's KJC claims to have seven million followers and he has grown his ministry through television, radio and social media.
He is also politically influential and serves as spiritual adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose family rules Davao city politics.
Since Duterte stepped down in 2022, authorities have been pursuing charges against Mr Quiboloy.
He is accused of trafficking his followers to the US to solicit donations for bogus charities. He also allegedly required his female followers, some underage, to have sex with him as a religious duty.
He has said that the "devil" was behind his legal woes. He has also said that he does not want the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to "meddle" in his case.
Quiboloy said in April that he was "preserving" himself by hiding from authorities.
"I am not hiding from the charges because I am guilty. That's not true. I am just protecting myself," he said.
Who is Apollo Quiboloy?
Quiboloy is the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a Christian sect that claims to have seven million members.
He claims to have heard God whisper to him “I will use you” while attending an event by American pastor Billy Graham in South Korea in 1973. This led him to set up the KJC in the Philippines' Davao in 1985.
Quiboloy preaches from a glass table that is set against giant photographs of his lush hilltop estate called the “Garden of Eden Restored”.
When he is not in Davao, he has been seen travelling on his private jet.
His rise to national prominence has mirrored that of Mr Duterte. Both started in Davao, where the former president served as mayor.
When Duterte was elected president in 2016, Quiboloy's profile rose even higher. But that started to diminish when Duterte left office in 2022.
Outside of his alliance with Duterte, Quiboloy has also gained considerable clout by endorsing politicians during elections.
Quiboloy was a supporter of one of Duterte's predecessors, Gloria Arroyo. When he endorsed Arroyo's choice of successor in the 2010 elections, Quiboloy claimed to have seen the candidate's name in a vision that included then-President Barack Obama.
What are the charges against him?
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Quiboloy with sex trafficking of children, fraud and coercion and bulk cash smuggling.
The FBI said he trafficked girls and women from the Philippines to the U.S., where they are forced to solicit money for a bogus charity.
He also required his female personal assistants, who are called “pastorals”, to have sex with him, the FBI said.
In January 2022, the FBI released a wanted poster seeking information on Quiboloy's whereabouts.
Last March, the Philippines DOJ filed human trafficking and sexual harassment charges against Mr Quiboloy, for allegedly abusing a teenager in 2011.
Courts in both the U.S. and Philippine have issued warrants for his arrest.
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The Philippines Already Has the World's Biggest Indoor Arena. We're About to Have One That's Even Bigger
Esquire Magazine
In an interview, Pastor Quiboloy said the floor of the arena is excavated one level down the ground “like the Staples Center” in Los Angeles, California.
When the Philippine Arena opened in Bocaue, Bulacan in 2014, it became the largest indoor arena not just in the Philippines, but in the entire world. With a capacity of 55,000, it has 18,500 more seats than the second biggest, which is the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. It’s a record that still stands to this day.
But not for long, it seems.
Construction on the King Dome in Davao City is well underway and is expected to be completed for a planned inauguration in 2022. Initial reports say the arena will have seating for 75,000 spectators. It is being built by the religious organization Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. The leader of the congregation recently posted an update about the progress of the construction on his Facebook account.
Here’s what you need to know about the KJC King Dome:
Who owns the King Dome?
The KJC King Dome broke ground on September 3, 2012. It is a project of ACQ-Solomonic Builders Development Corporation, which, in turn, is owned by Quiboloy’s KJC. The religious organization was founded in 1985 and now claims a membership of around seven million here and abroad. It is well-known that Pastor Quiboloy is a close personal friend of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Where is it located?
The KJC King Dome is located along the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, Barangay Catitipan, Buhangin District, Davao City. It is adjacent to the city’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport.
The King Dome is inside the 18-hectare KJC compound, which, in turn, is part of the 26-hectare Kingdom Global City Tourism Enterprise Zone (TEZ), which has been designated as such by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
According to TIEZA, the Kingdom Global City is “the first world class integrated leisure resort destination in Southern Philippines that will cater to the different market seeking holidays for leisure and business.” In addition to the stadium, the development will also include a 150-room condominium-hotel, a museum, a hangar for small and medium-sized aircrafts for the operations of air taxi services, a water park, and a commercial center with restaurant and business spaces, among others.
Of course, there will also be a cathedral or house of worship integrated in the design of the King Dome.
Who’s building it? And what’s it like inside?
Architect Manuel De Luna of the LPPA Design Group says he is the principal architect of the project. According to the website, the building has a footprint of 2.5 hectares and total floor area of 4.5 hectares. That's roughly the size of over 100 NBA basketball courts.
In an interview, Pastor Quiboloy said the floor of the arena is excavated one level down the ground “like the Staples Center” in Los Angeles, California.
“We could not bring it higher because of the flight path of aircrafts using the Francisco Bangoy International Airport. So we excavated one level lower in order to pass the flight path limitations.”
Quiboloy said the arena will have “38 escalators, centralized air conditioning system, a cube scoreboard and professional lighting.” It will also feature “state-of-the-art video equipment and up-to-date sound and projection systems which can contain a 6,000-voice choir and a 250-piece orchestra.”
How much will the King Dome cost?
Initial projections pegged the cost of the King Dome at around $106 million when it was first planned in 2012. However, that price tag has since ballooned to $177 million, and now, to over $230 million because of delays and other factors.
In an interview with SunStar Davao in 2019, Quiboloy said part of the reason for the delay is the shipping of materials, many of which are imported from Vietnam and China.
Why is it being built?
Similar to the Philippine Arena, which is owned and operated by the Iglesia ni Cristo and often used for the religious group’s services and gatherings, the King Dome will presumably become the central assembly venue for the KJC faithful. Quiboloy, who is also a known sports aficionado, said the project is a “fulfillment of his unceasing prayer to the almighty father.”
Besides being used for worship services, the King Dome is also expected to be the venue for non-religious events. TIEZA says “the development will strive to advocate and showcase the cultural heritage of the region to its visitors, and will serve multi-purpose activities and events such as concerts, international gatherings and sports events, and the like.”
So many false "prophets" that use God to deceive people... The Bible warns us.
I will say that even as a child, I understood Jesus was real and noticed people in the church did things that were not right, not to mention some horrible experiences. I survived, am forgiven, and press on. God gives you the discernment if you seek Him.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.