Alleged money-making schemes in Quiboloy's church bared in Senate

Two new witnesses on Tuesday bared before the Senate women, children, family relations, and gender equality the alleged money-making schemes carried out by members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) members abroad.

In the continuation of the Senate panel's investigation into the human trafficking and sexual abuses allegedly perpetrated by KOJC leader Apollo Quiboloy, Dindo Maquiling, former executive director of the Children's Joy Foundation in Canada, said he was affiliated with the church when he volunteered to help the religious leader raise funds for the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

According to its website, Children's Joy Foundation was established by Quiboloy to "reach out to the destitute Filipino children whose miserable plight he could not ignore as he toured around the Philippines as an evangelist."

During that time, Maquiling said he used his connections with the malls, superstores, and grocery stores in Canada to collect money and they were able to raise $4,000 per night.

When he returned to the Philippines, Maquiling said he discovered that the shelter was catering mostly to the children of KOJC's full-time workers.

"Hindi talaga siya tulong, tulong para sa mga mahihirap. Meron man doon talagang hinango nila from poverty, pira-piraso lang, iilan lang. In fact, ang claim nila is thousands of children were being fed. Nung ako'y nandun, wala pang halos 500 na, wala pang halos 300 na bata. And then, ito, kaya ako talaga na nagkaroon ako ng question," he said.

"Kasi, all the money that we collect here, ganito ang nangyari, lalabas ang pera na hindi ko alam," he went on.

According to Maquiling, he was once advised that the funds supposedly for the shelter amounting to $60,000 was sent to a certain Rosalie Magnao so it can be used for the "pastor's jet."

"Most of the funds, makikita ko naman yung sa mga report nila, pumupunta sa kung saan, hindi na pupunta talaga sa bata...Ang Canada Revenue [Agency], is already questioning me, kung saan ang mga pera na ginagamit. Sabi ko, wala man akong first hand (information)," Maquiling said.

"Na-release na ang pera bago ako informed... I am the person responsible of Canada Children's Joy Foundation. And who will, sinong managot sa government dito? Ako," he went on.

Accusations and threats

Maquiling said he resigned in 2019 because they were able to send 1 million Canadian dollars to the Philippines.

"So, 2019, nag-resign na ako kasi...Mayroong 1 million plus na pinadala kami sa Pilipinas na walang explanation … More than 1 million Canadian dollars on that year," he said.

"Sabi ko, oh my God, sabi ko. Ito na yung afternoon nahuli siya sa Hawaii kasi, iyon talaga ang sistema nila. Collect money from North America, ikarga nila sa jet para dalhin sa Pilipinas …na walang fees, walang bawas," he added.

At that time, Maquiling said he realized that Quiboloy was "fooling the people to collect money for the children" when these funds "will be used for jet fuel."

After he resigned, Maquiling said he was falsely accused by KOJC workers in Canada that he stole money from their charitable institution.

"How can I steal money? I am not the treasurer. I cannot even sign. What? Paano ko nakawin ang pera?," said Maquiling

"Three months niya ako halos d'yan tinadtad na sa 2020 d'yan sa program niya sa...Mag-Give Us This Day man 'yun. Binabanggit niya yan, Maquiling. Pinapakita pa litrato ko, yung magnanakaw, Maquiling," he said.

"Nandadaya d'yan daw sa Canada. Pero nanahimik ako. Hindi nga ako sumagot. Nanahimik lang ako kasi nagbigay na siya ng threat eh. Mamatay ang nanay ko, mamatay ang pamilya ko, mamatay si ganyan," he added.

Singapore

At the same hearing, Reynita Fernandez, who is working as domestic helper in Singapore, bared that when she committed again to the ministry in 2016, she was asked to pay 500 Singapore dollars.

In the next instance, Fernandez said she was asked to shell out 2,000 Singapore dollars. After remitting the said amount, she was assigned to be a leader. This happened during the "month(s) of blessings" which ran from September to March.

"We do [everything] like mag-loan, mag-solicit, magtinda, everything that earns money kahit magbale-balentong ka basta may money ka na irere-mit sa kanila and individually, you are given a certain quota. They assigned me as a leader, my quota from September to March is 12,000 Singapore dollars and where can I get that money?" she said.

"I have to give them like my earning of $200. On top of that, apart from giving your 10% of your income, plus the offering. And when you become really committed, when they say that you are very committed in giving, they will make it like, they turn it around. Like, your tithes is gonna be 90%, not just 10%," she said.

According to her, she was made to believe that the "more tithes you will give, the more blessings you will get" but this led her to loaning money for her mortgage and for her offering to the KOJC.

"We only remit tiny bit and everything with the rest of money will go to Davao City, to Quiboloy and I know that, because they also used me one time because in Singapore, no one is allowed to send a lot of money in one single day but one day they also asked me to send like you know more than a hundred thousand," she said.

Fernandez also disclosed that KOJC is "running illegally in Singapore"

"I found out that nagpadala siya dito ng mga full-time workers. Mga full-time workers. But then, it's not in a legal way. But to make it legal, ang ginagawa nila is nagbabayad sila ng tao na taga-rito sa Singapore to stand for them as an employer. So, in that way, every worker, they can go house to house every day, like from morning until night. So that mas maraming pera yung malilikom nila. So, it's illegal," she claimed.

Fernandez also narrated that full-time workers were told not to communicate with their families who were asking for money because "the real family is the kingdom only."

"May iba dito wala na di na nila sinasagot ang tawag ng family, kasi wala na silang pera. They already give it all.They don't even own their time. They don't even own themselves," she said.

The camp of Quiboloy was not able to refute the allegations raised by the new witnesses as the KOJC leader's lawyer already left at the early part of the hearing.

At the end of the hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros, who leads the Senate probe, said they will call on the Anti-Money Laundering Council as well as the Department of Migrant Workers in the next hearing to "further elucidate us" in the accusations raised by the new witnesses.

"Kung totoo po yung mga sinabi ng mga witness, isa ang naging malinaw sa pagdinig natin ngayong araw, scammer si Apollo Quiboloy," Hontiveros said.

"Sa Amerika, na-indict din si Quiboloy on bulk cash smuggling, liban pa sa mga kaso ng sex trafficking, fraud, kaya importante yung narinig natin yung paggamit ng mga pekeng account, and coercion. At ngayong araw napag-alaman natin mukhang nakaabot pa sa Singapore at sa Canada," she added. —VAL, GMA Integrated News