Palace: Quiboloy, 'appointed son of god,' can take care of himself
President Rodrigo Duterte is hands off on the reported detention of longtime friend and supporter Apollo Quiboloy in Hawaii, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte believes that Christian sect leader Apollo Quiboloy, who claims to be the “appointed son of god,” can take care of himself after he was reported to have been held in Hawaii after cash and gun parts were found on his private plane bound for the Philippines.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that Quiboloy, the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the Name Above Every Name, was a private individual who could take care of himself.
“Pastor Quiboloy is a private individual, and the president knows that he can take care of himself,” Roque said in Filipino in a radio interview.
Quiboloy was reported to have been held in Hawaii for alleged possession of $350,000 in cash and gun parts while he was about to return to the Philippines on board his Cessna Citation Sovereign private plane on February 13.
READ: Pastor Quiboloy detained in Hawaii — report
HawaiiNewsNow.com said that Customs and Border Enforcement agents boarded Quiboloy’s plane carrying him and six other people. It was on the plane where they found the cash and the parts of military-style rifles.
A spokesman for Quiboloy, Israelito Torreon, denied that the pastor was detained and criticized the media for blowing the incident out of proportion.
READ: Pastor Quiboloy's camp denies he was detained in Hawaii
“He was not charged nor was he jailed nor was he deported. There was only clarification made and after it was clarified, Pastor Quiboloy was allowed to leave the United States,” Torreon said.
Torreon also said that he was told that Quiboloy was not aware about the cash brought to his private plane.
A certain Felina Salinas reportedly claimed that suitcase with cash was hers. Salinas has been released on a $25,000 bond.
Based on federal law, anyone taking more than $10,000 out of the US should declare it. Salinas was charged with attempted cash smuggling after she reportedly declared only $40,000 of the $350,000 found.
Quiboloy’s KJC the Name Above Every Name is based in Duterte’s hometown of Davao city and claims to have a following of six million.
Quiboloy and Duterte have been long-time friends, and the pastor supported the chief executive when he sought the presidency in 2016.
The pastor lent Duterte his private plane and sometimes his helicopter during the 2016 poll campaign.
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