Notorious televangelist Apollo Quiboloy exploited not only underaged Filipino women, but also Ukrainians, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who reiterated her call for justice for the victim-survivors of the religious leader.
Hontiveros disclosed that the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder reportedly lured foreigners by promising them a “better and peaceful life” in Davao.
“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,” she said.
Hontiveros chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, which has so far led three inquiries into the reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, sexual violence, and child abuse against Quiboloy.
The senator also presented firsthand testimonies of women who were allegedly routinely assaulted by the pastor for several years.
“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.
In previous Senate hearings, it was revealed that former KOJC members identified as “pastorals” performed personal tasks for Quiboloy, some of whom were coerced to sleep with him to prove their devotion.
“I also have to stress that these abuses are ongoing,” the senator noted.
Speaking as a longtime advocate of women’s rights, Hontiveros appealed for justice for every woman who suffered repeated abuse in the hands of a cultish figure. She issued the statement in time for the International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8.
“This IWD, I call on all of us to listen to these women and girls. Let us not waste their courage. It is not easy on their part to share their awful experiences in public for the sake of justice. Let us show them that justice in this country can work for the most vulnerable,” the senator said.
“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,” Hontiveros said.
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 directed the filing of trafficking and child abuse charges against the KOJC leader after a review of a complaint filed by a 17-year-old girl in 2019.