The man who rules a kingdom is ‘losing’ it
By Ted Alcuitas
He vowed to lead a revolution if Duterte was not elected, seemingly in tandem with Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison’s assurance that the CPP would back a revolution if Duterte was cheated out of victory.
Quiboloy, 66, claims to be the “appointed son of God.” He says that 16 years ago, he predicted that Duterte would be elected President in a landslide.
Now, Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the homegrown Christian sect Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, on Friday (May 20) openly criticized the presumptive President-elect’s men, saying they had set up a cordon sanitaire around Duterte that left out his own spiritual adviser, Inquirer.net reports.
The ultra-rich evangelist owns a sprawling Davao enclave that houses his operation centre for his vast empire that includes an airplane and helicopter with a private helipad and a TV studio that is more advanced than ABC/CBS, according to a documentary made by Kris Aquino. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Q2Rqowe2U
According to Inquirer, Quiboloy has a three-decade friendship with Duterte that included daily phone calls, golf games and motorbike rides.
And so, during the election campaign, he had an airplane and a helicopter on standby 24/7 at his friend’s disposal.
But why is Apollo Quiboloy now sidelined as Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte prepares for the presidency?
Quiboloy’s spokesperson claims “It’s quite a powerful cordon sanitaire that left out the original supporters of Mayor Duterte, including Pastor Quiboloy himself. It pains us and it saddens us,” Mike Abe, a spokesperson for Quiboloy, told the Inquirer by phone in Filipino.
Abe named Duterte’s longtime executive assistant, Christopher “Bong” Go, and incoming presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo as the ones controlling the cordon sanitaire.
He said the last time Duterte and Quiboloy spoke to each other was at 2 a.m. on May 10, adding he was there.
“Pastor Quiboloy is not interested in a quid pro quo but he wants to be included in the selection process, to have a voice in the process, but he will not make any recommendations in terms of accepting or rejecting a nominee. What he wants is to take part in vetting the qualifications of a nominee, to help in double-checking their backgrounds, especially for the sensitive positions,” Abe said.
Abe said Quiboloy wanted to help Duterte in advancing his campaign promise of change.
Quiboloy’s Children’s Joy Foundation Inc. operates worldwide and is active in Canada. His workers, mostly women, are a familiar site in skytrain stations in Vancouver, B.C. collecting donations for the foundation. The workers has been in the media for their aggressive behaviour in asking for donations. They were quite conspicuous during Typhoon Haiyan piggybacking on the devastation to collect donations.
According to its Facebook page, Children’s Joy Foundation “is a shelter that provides programs and services for children who are neglected, abandoned, dependent, orphaned and surrendered, through various competences in different disciplines and in handling cases that will address their survival, protection, participation and development rights.”
It is not a registered charity in Canada.