In what represents taking advantage of genuine calls for change in another country, Apollo Quiboloy, a pastor from the Philippines who was arrested on September 8 on sex trafficking charges reportedly used footage of Gen Z protests in Kenya to bolster his reputation among his followers.
Footage from Gen Z protests in Nakuru was reportedly shared by the pastor’s followers who subsequently knowingly misrepresented it to give the impression that the hundreds of protestors were the preacher’s followers.
The footage has since been viewed tens of thousands of times with many Filipinos falling for the misinformation. One particular video viewed more than 78,000 times shared by the pastor’s followers, depicts a large mob of young people marching down a street, chanting with some carrying placards up in the air.
The pastor almost got away with the deception. The con was only discovered when police launched investigations into the pastor’s activities after which the footage surfaced.
The self-proclaimed pastor who is the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect faces sex trafficking and human abuse charges in the United States and Philippines.
Apollo Quiboloy leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church in the Philippines.
Photo
Apollo Quiboloy
The 74-year-old leader subsequently surrendered to authorities on September 8 after more than 2,000 police officers raided his massive church complex in Davao City in the Philippines on September 8.
Deception
The pastor and his followers had developed the habit of using footage from Kenyan demos and repost the videos as if the clips were captured at his crusades and rallies.
One such post shared on Facebook by the pastor on September 2, 2024, read “KOJC RALLY First Time in Davao City,” with his church’s initials inscripted.
A precursory search indicates the videos were from Nakuru City where youth staged massive protests back in June.
“It’s like Edsa Revolution People’s Power,” the post further added, insinuating a peaceful religious movement akin to one that happened in 1986 which resulted to the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Ironically, the video features the caption ‘Nakuru well represented’ with the anti-government hashtag ‘#rejectfinancebill2024’ and other hashtags ‘#Nakuru’ and ‘#Kenya.’
A reverse image search of the video shows it was first posted on TikTok and shared on June 20, 2024, some months before the police raided Quiboloy’s church.
The Philippine pastor is massively popular in his home country. After his arrest, thousands of followers gathered at the 74-acre compound to protest.
The preacher is also well-connected in high places including sharing a close relationship with former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte which allowed him to walk free despite being placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) most wanted list.
A colllage of Apollo Quiboloy leader of Kingdom of Jesus Christ and an image from a film footage he allegedly used.
