In the Philippines, a pastor named Apollo Quiboloy, who is in jail and wanted in the United States for serious crimes, has officially signed up to run for a seat in the Senate in the upcoming elections next year. Quiboloy, who claims to be the “Appointed Son of God,” has many followers and was a supporter of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The 74-year-old pastor was arrested last month and is facing serious charges, including child abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. Despite these charges, one of his lawyers, Mark Christopher Tolentino, submitted his papers to run for office. Tolentino said that Quiboloy wants to help solve the problems in the Philippines and is motivated by his faith in God.
Quiboloy promises to create laws that focus on God and the people of the Philippines. His candidacy comes at a time when other candidates with legal issues have successfully run for office in the past. For instance, in 2022, a man named Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada won a Senate seat while facing corruption charges, and another politician, Leila de Lima, served time in prison while in office but was cleared of her charges this year.
According to the rules, someone can still run for Senate unless they have been convicted of serious crimes and have no more chances to appeal. In 2021, Quiboloy was charged by U.S. authorities with sex trafficking girls and women, accusing him of bringing them to the U.S. under false pretenses to work as personal assistants, with some alleging they were made to have sex with him.
The FBI has also accused him of smuggling large amounts of cash and tricking people into donating to a fake charity, which was actually used to fund his church and support its leaders’ luxurious lifestyles.
Next year, there will be 12 out of 24 Senate seats available in the elections, along with many local government positions.
