How followers help fund 'Appointed Son of God'

MANILA-Filipino domestic worker Reynita Fernandez, 50, once believed the salvation of her soul depended on rice cakes her church forced her to sell surreptitiously to other migrant workers spending their Sundays at Lucky Plaza mall in Orchard Road in Singapore.

- Mara Cepeda

Ms Fernandez used to be a devout member of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), a religious group founded in Davao City in the southern Philippines in 1985 by now-fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy, 73.

A known spiritual adviser of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, Quiboloy was previously a member of the United Pentecostal Church before founding the KOJC.

While the KOJC espouses some mainstream Christian tenets, critics view it as a cult led by its charismatic leader self-styled as the "Appointed Son of God".

According to the Philippine media, the KOJC claims to have four million followers in the country and another two million members overseas. The church has a chapter in Singapore, although their exact numbers in the Republic are unknown; however, its Singapore chapter's Facebook page has over 9,000 online followers as of April 20.

Quiboloy is currently facing arrest warrants both at home and in the US on multiple charges of child abuse, sexual trafficking.

conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling. The authorities cracked down on him after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued an arrest warrant against him in 2021, months before Mr Duterte's presidency ended. More witnesses were encouraged to speak out against Quiboloy when Mr Duterte was no longer in power in the Philippines.

The FBI said Quiboloy allegedly ran a labour trafficking scheme that brought KOJC members to the US and forced them to solicit donations for a bogus charity. Attempts to meet stringent daily quotas for fund-raisers left members mired in debt.

The donations allegedly funded church operations and the lavish lifestyles of Quiboloy and other church leaders.