Preacher wanted by FBI on sex crime charges evades Philippine police as followers resist in days-long standoff

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN

(CNN) — A violent standoff between Philippine police and followers of a fugitive pastor wanted by both the FBI and local police on sexual abuse and human trafficking charges entered its fourth day Tuesday, with nearly 2,000 officers surrounding a sprawling church compound.

Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “appointed son of God” and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, has been on the run for at least three years.

A 2021 U.S. indictment accuses the 74-year-old pastor and his alleged accomplices of running a sex trafficking ring that forced girls and young women to have sex with him under threat of “eternal damnation.”

Quiboloy, who denies all charges against him, is said by Philippine police to be hiding on a 30-hectare (75-acre) site that includes a cathedral, a college, a bunker and a taxiway to Davao International Airport.

Police attempted to arrest the preacher and five of his alleged accomplices in a raid that began Saturday in the southern Philippine city, but were met with fierce and sometimes violent resistance from his followers, who reportedly threw rocks at officers and blocked a highway with burning tires, Davao police said on Facebook.

A 51-year-old Quiboloy follower reportedly died of a heart attack on Saturday. Police said his death was unrelated to the operation.

Police fired tear gas as they tried to disperse the crowd on Sunday night. At least six officers were injured and at least 18 people were arrested during the days-long standoff, police said.

Photos released by police on Monday showed officers with bloodied faces and bandages as they were treated for injuries.

Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, who is leading the raid, said the operation will not end until Quiboloy is captured.

“We’re not going away,” Torre said Saturday. “Nobody’s going to back down until we get him.”

Prominent preacher

Quiboloy founded the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church in 1985 and rose to prominence as television evangelism became more popular in the Philippines, a country with a Catholic majority but where millions of people also adhere to various Christian sects.

The church, which claims to have 7 million followers worldwide, runs businesses including a college, a resort and media outlets in the Philippines, according to its official website.

Quiboloy is a staunch supporter and spiritual advisor to former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. He appeared regularly on a church-based media network when he was mayor of Davao, a testing ground for Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, which human rights groups say has led to thousands of extrajudicial killings.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Duterte’s daughter, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, accused police of abusing their power and harassing church members during the raid on the compound.

The 2021 U.S. indictment against Quiboloy and two alleged accomplices charges them with sex trafficking, including of girls as young as 12. The suspects allegedly recruited young women and girls as personal assistants who were forced to have sex with the pastor.

The indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California also accuses Quiboloy and his alleged accomplices of running a labor trafficking scheme that lured church members to the U.S. on fraudulently obtained visas and coerced them into soliciting donations for a bogus charity.

Former members of the church accused Quiboloy of sexual abuse and exploitation during Philippine Senate investigations into the church, which began in December last year.

Quiboloy’s lawyer denies the charges against the pastor and says the church plans to file counter-suits against police for raiding his home.

In February, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Quiboloy to surrender and face the criminal charges against him, his office said.