The Cult Dossier · No. 142 · Christian-Derived
Kingdom of Jesus Christ
KOJC; the Restored Church of Jesus Christ
1985 – present · Davao City, Philippines; USA; worldwide
XIII. FILLING THE GAPS — ASIA, AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA
Fully religious — Philippine restorationist church
Who led it
APOLLO CARREON QUIBOLOY (b.1950), who styles himself the APPOINTED SON OF GOD and 'the Owner of the Universe'.
What it worshipped and taught
Quiboloy as the Appointed Son of God, through whom alone salvation is available; only members of the KOJC will be saved. The church operates a broadcasting network, a large compound in Davao, and — according to US federal prosecutors — a system in which selected young women and girls were designated 'pastorals', assigned to serve Quiboloy personally, and required to have sex with him. Members were also allegedly trafficked to the United States to solicit donations under false pretences, with the proceeds funding the leadership.
Who was in it
Apollo Quiboloy; Rodrigo Duterte, the former Philippine president and a close political ally from Davao; the four co-accused in the Philippine trafficking case; the former members who testified to the FBI.
How it ended, or where it stands
Leader detained in the Philippines; the US extradition request is with the Philippine justice department and no petition has yet been filed; NO VERDICT in either jurisdiction.
The dead
—
Of note
He denies everything and says the allegations were fabricated by expelled former members. This is a live case in two countries and should be re-verified before being relied upon. Its inclusion also fixes a real gap — the Philippines has one of the largest and least-covered NRM landscapes in the world.
Its timeline
- 1985 Founds the church in Davao City.
- 2000s–2010s Builds a broadcasting empire and substantial political influence.
- 2021 US federal indictment in the Central District of California for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of children, sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and bulk cash smuggling.
- 2022 PLACED ON THE FBI'S TEN MOST WANTED FUGITIVES LIST.
- 8 SEPTEMBER 2024 Surrenders after roughly 2,000 Philippine security personnel surround the Davao compound in a two-week standoff.
- 2024–26 Faces human trafficking charges at Pasig Regional Trial Court alongside four co-accused; arraigned and detained.
- 6 AUGUST 2026 THE UNITED STATES FORMALLY REQUESTS HIS EXTRADITION; the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs endorses the request to the Department of Justice.
- 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 The justice secretary says the papers are voluminous and that he aims to finish the review in about two weeks.
- 17 SEPTEMBER 2026 THE PETITION IS BEING DRAFTED, NOT FILED. Justice Undersecretary IAN NORMAN DATO says the department is preparing and finalising the extradition petition and will file it when satisfied the evidence and the law warrant it. He sets no deadline. Quiboloy denies everything and says the cases are politically and religiously motivated.
- AS AT 25 SEPTEMBER 2026 NO PETITION HAS BEEN FILED AND NO COURT HAS RULED ON EXTRADITION. He remains detained on the Philippine charges — qualified human trafficking at Pasig and child and sexual abuse at Quezon City — which are untried. THE SEQUENCE MATTERS: the DOJ said in 2024 that he would be tried in the Philippines first and, if convicted, would serve his sentence here before any extradition. On that account the US case waits years, not months.