Ex-KOJC exec: Sham marriages used to expand overseas presence, solicitations

The Apollo Quiboloy-led Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church uses marriages between members abroad and those in the Philippines to maintain its global presence and increase its solicitation activities, former member Dindo Garcia Maquiling said.

Maquiling, who hails from Canada and led KOJC’s activities there as executive director of Children’s Joy Foundation, said sham marriages are “widely practiced” among KOJC members in different parts of Canada and the world, and that he knows people who participated in such a scheme.

“It’s from Toronto, Canada to Vancouver. I need to say it's from the East Coast to the West Coast, from different cities also, including Alberta, Canada and some other areas by which they execute this kind of sham marriages. This has been a modus operandi of KOJC, not only in Canada, USA, Brazil, and even in the different parts of of the world, by which they want a worker from Davao to have a permanent status so that their existence there will continue to perpetuate,” Maquiling said via video call during Wednesday’s Senate investigation into alleged crimes by Quiboloy.

The proceedings were led by Senator Risa Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children and Gender Equality. 

Maquiling said he was also a "victim" of such a sham marriage.

“I was asked to marry Maria Noralyn Barrientos because her visa is expiring. I got married to this person and then I filed a divorce after those few years. That's the reason why my children were already grown up when I brought them to Canada,” he said.

He added that arranged marriages between KOJC members living abroad and those from the Philippines are made possible when Quiboloy travels abroad with KOJC members from the Philippines for a concert tour.

These KOJC members from the Philippines will then remain in a foreign land to carry out supposed fundraising activities for the needy, which Maquiling said was never the case.

“Nothing happens in KOJC without the knowledge of ACQ, which is Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. It really begins when he has a 'King is Coming' tour. When they come to Canada, he brings like almost 125 to150 full-time miracle workers, which includes pulpit workers, concert singers. Those are also who are setting up crew for his live telecast, and these people remain in Canada or in the USA to do fundraising and solicitation in all of Canada. So caroling, solicitation through person-to-person, in malls, parking lots, residential and care homes,” Maquiling said.

He then named some individuals whom he said were in sham marriages, then added that he can provide even more names “to prove the fact that these sham marriages are really happening.”

Hontiveros asked Quiboloy, who was physically present in the same hearing, if he was indeed the brains behind this supposed sham marriage scheme.

But Quiboloy, who has described himself "the Appointed Son of God," did not give a categorical answer.

“Because this is under investigation already, I invoke my right to remain silent on this issue,” he said.

Beggars for Quiboloy?

Maquiling also echoed the earlier account of another KOJC member, Teresita Valduhueza, who told the Senate panel of her experience of working to meet the P10 to P15 million caroling quota for Quiboloy.

“I am the one doing this fundraising because I believed in Pastor Quiboloy. I have given my whole heart, from $65,000 yearly income to a $1,000 a month income when I led his Children’s Joy Foundation in Canada. What happens is that, when the money is collected after the whole night of full-time workers in the streets who come home almost early morning just to meet their quota...they will be counting the money, and then the people in the Treasury Department [of KOJC], they're going to ask someone from the members or full-time workers to send it to the Philippines right away without documentation from the CRA, which is Canada Revenue Agency, because it is a record of things that the government [would] want to know on how Children's Joy Foundation, the KOJC, is operating,” Maquiling said.

“Funds were used not for children's benefit, but the benefit of certain personalities and KOJC Canada Church's operations. Some of these full-time medical workers who are in the streets for more than 12 to 16 hours soliciting [money] to pay off luxurious cars and mansions, which I'm a witness of the mansions being owned here, instead of feeding hungry destitute children in the Philippines," he said.

Maquiling said his children were also not spared from being trafficked to do supposed charity work for KOJC.

“I even asked the minister, Dandy Cabahug, to bring my children to Davao because I thought that they will be properly [treated]...and I can see [that time] that they have nurtured them, teaching them how to play music and everything, but I was not aware that they were being trafficked, [they fell into] child trafficking to many parts in Manila and also in many parts of Davao and Mindanao,” Maquiling said.

“But I thank God I rescued them from Davao, and I was able to bring them here in Canada,” he added.

Quiboloy vehemently denied these allegations of him using members to beg and raise funds for his ilk,

“Wala po kaming mga polisiya na magpalimos. Wala pong katotohanan ‘yun,” Quiboloy added.

(We don’t have a policy to make people beg. Those are lies.)

Quiboloy is currently facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended, before a Pasig court. He is also facing charges under Section 5(b) and  Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

Likewise, Quiboloy is facing criminal charges in the United States over alleged conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.

Quiboloy has all denied these charges, saying he is being unfairly persecuted.