MANILA— The camp of Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church pastor Apollo Quiboloy on Friday said they are ready to defend their pastor and face sexual trafficking cases filed against the influential leader in the United States, describing these as a demolition job.

Quiboloy, President Rodrigo Duterte's spiritual adviser, was supposedly running a sex-trafficking operation that threatened victims as young as 12 with "eternal damnation" and physical abuse if they refused.

His other church officials in the US were also named in the indictment.

• READ: Apollo Quiboloy, founder of Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, indicted for sex trafficking

In a statement, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ's (KOJC) legal counsel said people behind the case are "the same dissidents who miserably failed in their attempt to bring Pastor Quiboloy into the case in Hawaii."

• READ: Quiboloy follower pleads guilty to making false statement

"We are confident and ready to face whatever is hurled against Pastor Quiboloy and the Kingdom leaders. We trust the process of justice and we certainly expect the truth to prevail, and the Kingdom ministry will continue to prosper," the statement read.

"With the growing ministry and followers of the Kingdom comes also the growing opposition who are trying their best to destroy it and all the Kingdom leaders. While jealousy and evil will never stop, we strongly believe that good always triumphs over evil," it added.

To recall, a KOJC church manager in the US was arrested in March 2018 after failing to report more than $300,000 in cash that was in a suitcase aboard a private jet bound for the Philippines a month earlier.

After an investigation, it was revealed that the suitcase belonged to Quiboloy. He was not charged in the incident after the church manager pleaded guilty of making a false statement.

Recent developments will not stop their church's mission of evangelizing, which will "go on forever," the statement said.

"People may have tried to silence Pastor Quiboloy, but they cannot put down the Kingdom nation. They will never detract from the mission and the ministry of The Kingdom. It will never stop," it read.

• READ: Rape, human trafficking raps vs Quiboloy, 5 church members dismissed
• READ: Quiboloy follower pleads guilty to making false statement

The latest indictment adds Quiboloy and 5 other new defendants to an existing indictment filed in 2020.

The indictment alleges that Quiboloy and 2 other defendants recruited females aged 12 to 25 as personal assistants, or "pastorals."

It said they were required to prepare Quiboloy’s meals, clean his residences, give him massages and have sex with him during what they called "night duty."

Duterte’s acting spokesman Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said they would cooperate with authorities if the United States seeks to extradite Quiboloy.

• READ: Philippines says to cooperate if US seeks extradition of Duterte ally Quiboloy

The KOJC was founded in Davao in 1985 and claims to have 6 million members in approximately 200 countries.

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