As the world celebrates women’s day, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday, March 8 expressed hope justice would be served for the women victim-survivors of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy.
Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, is currently leading the inquiry into the reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, sexual violence, and child abuse allegedly perpetrated by Quiboloy.
During the last three hearings, the firsthand testimonies of women who were allegedly routinely assaulted by the religious leader for several years have been exposed in the committee.
A warrant of arrest has been issued by the panel against Quiboloy after the religious leader repeatedly ignored the subpoenas issued against him.
“Our women witnesses have had to overcome overwhelming feelings of shame and fear in order to speak their truth, to get justice, and to find peace,” Hontiveros said.
“Ngayong ipinagdiriwang natin ang araw ng kababaihan, sana matiyak natin ang hustisya para sa bawat babaeng paulit-ulit na inabuso ng taong itinangala nila (Now that we are celebrting the women’s day, I hope we can ensure justice for the women who were repeatedly abused by the people they looked up to),” the senator stressed.
Some former members of the KPJC claimed to have been part of the “pastorals” or women who were assigned to perform personal tasks for Quiboloy. During the hearing, they claimed they were forced to sleep with the religious leader as a sign of their devotion to him.
Quiboloy also managed to lure foreign women to also be part of the group and eventually raped them, according to the witnesses.
“We’ve heard the stories of at least three Ukrainian women who left everything in Ukraine only to be exploited by the Pastor. They were effectively used as sex slaves,” Hontiveros said.
“I also have to stress that these abuses are ongoing. Maraming mga pastoral pa ang nasa loob ng Kingdom na patuloy na inaabuso diumano ni Quiboloy (There are still many of these pastoral women who are still inside the KOJC and are still being abused allegeldy by Quiboloy),” the senator added.
In 2021, a US Court indicted Quiboloy for heinous crimes committed in America, including the systematic rape of women, as well as minors as young as 11 years old.
Early this week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed the filing of trafficking and child abuse charges against Quiboloy after a review of a complaint filed by a 17-year-old girl in 2019.
Also, just recently, a judge in California has ordered the unsealing of the arrest warrant against Quiboloy and his co-accused, paving the way for the extradition process by the US Department of Justice for the KOJC leader.
“This IWD, I call on all of us to listen to these women and girls. Let us not waste their courage. Hindi madali ang ginawa nilang pagbahagi ng mga mapapait na karanasan alang-alang sa hustisya (Sharing their painful experience for the sake of justice is not easy). Let us show them that justice in this country can work for the most vulnerable,” Hontiveros appealed.
“To the victim-survivors, your strength and resolve remind us of the women before us who fought for our dignity, our freedom, and our rights. Your grace amid this chaos inspires us to stand with you, tall and undeterred. Umaasa ako na titindig hindi lang ang Senado, kundi ang buong bansa, kasama ninyo (I am hopeful that not only the Senate, but the whole country, will stand firm against him),” the lawmaker stressed.