Quiboloy accusers urged to file cases in court

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero lauded the Senate women and children committee for concluding its investigation, saying the witnesses may now pursue cases in court against accused sex offender and human trafficker Apollo Quiboloy.

“I support the decision of Sen Risa. Given the pendency of cases against pastor Quiboloy. It’s best that all the complainants file their respective complaints already with the Department of Justice,” Escudero said.

In her closing statement, Hontiveros lauded Quiboloy’s victims for speaking out about the alleged sexual abuse and contract killings.

“Quiboloy presided over a malicious and systematic subversion of personal will, autonomy, and dignity to make his victims participants in their own abuse – psychological, sexual, physical, and economic. He presented himself as a God who took over his victims’ minds and bodies, exploited their good will, to commit an evil act,” Hontiveros said.

“He may have tried to break their will and play with them, but he did not succeed. The human soul is made of much stronger stuff. The courage of our witnesses, our victim-survivors, is stronger than the divinity you claim,” she added.

Quiboloy has dared his critics to file cases against him over allegations he raped young female members of his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) sect and sent out hitmen from his private army to silence or kill his enemies.

“Those are lies. I urge my accusers to file cases against me about those accusations,” Quiboloy said when asked about his so-called Angels of Death during the last hearing on Wednesday on his alleged sex crimes by Senate committee on women and children chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros.

“That is only their invention,” he added, referring to allegations that he had a private army tasked with killing his enemies or threatening his rape victims who would dare speak out.

Quiboloy, during the hearing, was confronted about an alleged audio recording of him threatening a woman named “Stephanie” that he would send the “Angels of Death” to her for betraying him.

“The Angels of Death are watching them, waiting for the opportunity to kill them all,” the voice said in Visayan.

But Quiboloy claimed the audio recording could be a mere work of “artificial intelligence.”

Lt. Col. Gene Licud of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group regional field unit 11 said Quiboloy used the term “Angels of Death” to threaten KOJC members accused of violating the sect’s doctrines and rules.

The alleged private army, formed in 1990, was composed of “trusted members with background in security and military” who were “handpicked” by Quiboloy to become part of a “liquidation team to various KOJC locations nationwide,” Licud said.

A former KOJC member Eduard Masayon testified that he knew the Angels of Death to be members of the Second Metro Davao Signal Battalion, part of the Philippine Army’s Affiliated Reserve Unit.

Only KOJC members comprise the so-called signal battalion, which is under Quiboloy’s media outfit Sonshine Media Network International.

“The Angels of Death are sourced from there to kill some of my former colleagues. Under the ministry, you should commit murder to prove your loyalty and faithfulness,” Masayon said in Filipino.

“Quiboloy formed the Angels of Death for those opposing him, or for those who leave the church, in order to silence them for knowing too much,” he added.

The alleged religious army was supervised by Quiboloy’s co-accused, siblings Cresente and Ingrid Canada. The Philippine National Police showed a diagram showing that Quiboloy gave kill orders to the hitmen as relayed by the Canadas.

“These Angels of Death reportedly operate as a secret team, a loyal group within the KOJC ministry capable of imposing both physical and psychological harm on those who do not comply with Quiboloy’s wishes,” Licud said.

“The very name Angels of Death suggest a level of intimidation and power that goes beyond mere spiritual guidance. The allegations paint a picture of an organization that functions as a private army, a weaponized wing of Quiboloy’s church used to coerce and control members, particularly vulnerable young women whom Quiboloy allegedly abused,” Licud added.

Based on the diagram, Quiboloy’s trusted accomplices in his hit jobs were the Canadas, acting KOJC executive pastor Marlon Acobo, and a certain “Mr. B” whom the police did not yet identify as part of the investigation.

The diagram also showed the names of seven people crossed out as “deceased,” indicating that they had already been “liquidated.” Pending the results of their case build-up, Licud refused to elaborate on the diagram, which also lists 14 unnamed Angels of Death members.

“These are all extracted from the accounts of our witnesses, taken from their affidavits. These are not invented,” Licud said.

One of the seven crossed out as “deceased” is Alexander Camia, who was identified by Quiboloy’s victim Teresita Valdehueza as the assassin sent to threaten and kill her after she accused Quiboloy of raping her in the 1990s. Camia was named in the diagram as the one tasked to kill Valdehueza.

Punished with seven months of starvation at the Prayer Mountain in Davao City for defying Quiboloy, former KOJC logistics head Valdehueza said Camia was Quiboloy’s “personal bodyguard, a full-time worker, once known to be a champion in gun shooting before he joined Quiboloy’s group.”

Camia was a suspect in the murder of her former worker who was shot inside his home, Valdehueza said. She added that a friend Elsa Bolivar had just visited her before she was shot dead in her garden in Tagum city.

Bolivar was included in the PNP diagram as a “coordinator and trustee in Quiboloy’s business.” Her name was also crossed out, with a dotted line connecting her to Quiboloy’s deputy Acobo.

“Fear consumed me, and I remained silent. Three years ago, I talked to Alex Camia, who asked for my forgiveness, saying he was just instructed to kill me because he believed I am an evil woman who seduced Quiboloy and had sex with ministry workers and stole P3 million,” Valdehueza said in her testimony at Wednesday’s hearing.

“He even said, in Bisaya, ‘Di ba nagtugot man ang Ginoo pagpatay sa dautan (Doesn’t God permit the killing of the wicked)?” she added, referring to her conversation with Camia.