This is the moment police officers in the Philippines find a secret passageway leading to a seedy lounge in the alleged sex slave complex of self-proclaimed “son of God” Apollo Quiboloy.
Footage shows officers opening a hidden door that blends seamlessly into the wall panels leading to an opulently furnished lounge, accessed through a maze of corridors in Quiboloy’s 75-hectare complex in Davao City.
The more than 2,000 police officers deployed to arrest Quiboloy discovered hundreds of rooms under construction in the complex on August 29.
Quiboloy, a pastor to six million people, is accused of heinous crimes in the United States. He has been charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children, among a host of other alleged offenses.
A whistleblower tip helped police raid the complex they suspect was used to store captive women on multiple floors. Two women believed to be sex slaves were reportedly rescued.
Police have entered with radar technology that can detect heartbeats through concrete walls. They have now found signs of life deep beneath the surface, where Quiboloy is believed to be hiding with dozens of fanatics.
Quiboloy (pictured) has denied the criminal allegations against him and his religious group
This is the secret door (left) that leads to the hidden staircase (right) to the lounge
Footage shows agents opening a hidden door leading to an ornate lounge, accessed through a maze of secret passages in a cathedral on Quiboloy’s 75-hectare property in Davao City (pictured: one of the hidden lounges)
On the left of the photo you can see the entrance to the secret passage and on the right you can see one of the underground bedrooms.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said in a press conference Thursday after police discovered the secret passages: “We are obtaining the blueprints from the Davao City Engineering Bureau. It is a violation.
“Why isn’t it indicated? All those elaborate things that have been built there that could serve as shelters.”
Quiboloy, who calls himself an “appointed son of God,” denies the charges and claims those pursuing him are agents of the devil. However, the FBI has placed him on its most wanted list and describes in gruesome detail the alleged reality of his “labor trafficking scheme” and sex crimes.
The Bureau cites horrific allegations that women in the complex were forced to live in the complex, made to perform all kinds of domestic tasks and even subjected to sexual abuse, known as “night shift” among victims.
Quiboloy is the head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), a restorationist Christian church in the Philippines with a reported membership of six million.
Quiboloy is said to have founded the church after returning from “an exile in Tamayong.” He claimed he was led by God, through dreams in the foothills of Mount Matutum, to establish his church in the late 1990s.
Since then, he has built a large loyal following across the country, earning him the loyalty of several politicians and government officials.
Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “designated son of God,” is on the FBI’s most wanted list
From above: The Kingdom of Jesus Christ complex in Davao City, Philippines
Rodrigo Duterte, the populist former president, saw the value of Quiboloy’s support when he ran for mayor in 1988 and attracted his attention.
Quiboloy maintained a carefully curated public role, even appearing for interviews in the national press in 2022 and greeting his followers on the streets of Davao.
The American interest in Quiboloy brought the preacher’s alleged misdeeds to international attention. A federal grand jury indicted him on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and large-scale cash smuggling.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for him in November 2021.
The FBI has named Quiboloy one of its most wanted individuals and detailed a number of alleged crimes he is accused of committing.
Quiboloy is wanted by the Bureau for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that “brought church members into the United States on fraudulently obtained visas and coerced the members into soliciting donations for a false charity. These donations were used to fund the church’s activities and the extravagant lifestyles of its leaders.”
Those who managed to obtain such “fake” donations were then reportedly “forced into sham marriages” or obtain fraudulent visas to remain in the US to work year-round.
The FBI also cites allegations that women were recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” to prepare meals for Quiboloy, clean his homes, give him massages and have sex with him during what they called “night shifts.”
The church claims the pastor (center) is being persecuted because “the devil… will try to eliminate a good man… who gives his life for his fellow man, who is oppressed by evil, at any cost.”
Spooky footage shows a room still full of personal belongings in the underground bunker
Victims were also said to have faced threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” if they did not comply with the self-proclaimed “son of God.”
Police in the Philippines received additional help from a woman named “Amanda,” a whistleblower and former “full-time miracle worker” for KOJC, who testified that she was one of several women detained after being forced into a sexual relationship with Quiboloy “at a young age.”
According to the Daily Tribune, a local newspaper that has been closely following the case, this was offered to the victims as a “special privilege” for a select group.
On August 24, the Philippine National Police (PNP) raided a 75-hectare compound in Davao City linked to the KOJC in search of Quiboloy.
The complex is said to have three floors, two of which are reserved for the “most attractive” women who Quiboloy kept as “sacrifices” and a third was reportedly used to confine other women, the Stand.
Chilling footage shows police sweeping the bleak, unlit lower floors. The floors were empty, but there were still signs of life. Laundry was strewn across large, open spaces, resembling rows of low wooden beds.
Other floors looked more like hotel corridors. Some had individual rooms with neatly made single beds, potted plants and posters for decoration. Others were more modestly furnished and had multiple bunk beds or double beds and couches.
Some rooms have bunk beds, while others are designated as single rooms
Supporters of religious leader Apollo Quiboloy hold a protest rally outside the complex
Quiboloy has pleaded his innocence and his group had said he was prepared to face justice before suddenly disappearing.
But ongoing raids on his home have given police hope that they can bring him to justice.
According to the police, signs of life have been found deep beneath the surface. It is suspected that Quiboloy is hiding there with dozens of fanatics.
Quiboloy and his lawyer allege that the attempt to arrest him is part of a disinformation campaign led by critics and former members of his church, who were expelled from the group after committing irregularities.
In his defense, it can be argued that many KOJC supporters have come out in recent days to protest the raid on the complex, clashing with the police and declaring his innocence.
At least one person has died of a heart attack during the protests, but police say it has nothing to do with their operations.
At least 18 have been arrested for obstruction of justice. Six police officers were injured in clashes between Quiboloy’s supporters and officers.