A newly released video has revealed the disturbing conditions of an underground lair in the Philippines, where women were allegedly held against their will and subjected to abuse and exploitation by a religious cult.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) shared footage of officers scouring a sprawling maze of rooms inside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Compound (KOJC) on Saturday in search of wanted preacher Apollo Quiboloy.
The video alternates between the precarious conditions of the rows of beds, the bare concrete walls and debris covering the floor, and the contrasting neon-lit hallways believed to have housed vulnerable women.
In images obtained by the local Daily TribunePolice raid a room apparently linked to ‘Amanda’, a key whistleblower who has helped expose alleged abuse within the church which claims to have up to six million followers.
The underground network of rooms is believed to span three levels, two reserved for the “most attractive” women, kept near the FBI’s most wanted preacher, Apollo Quiboloy, as “offerings,” and the third reportedly used to confine other women.
Hundreds of officers backed by riot squads took part in Saturday’s dramatic raid as police closed in on the preacher, a self-proclaimed “appointed son of God,” who is still believed to be hiding in the Davao compound.
Quiboloy (pictured) has denied criminal charges against him and his religious group.
Disturbing images show a room still filled with personal belongings in the underground bunker
Police searched some of the ground floor rooms but found only empty beds and personal items.
Some rooms are equipped with bunk beds, while others are designated as single rooms.
A video showed some of the filthy corridors inside the underground bunker as police inspected it in the early hours of August 24.
Police appear to be in the basement of the compound, which leads to a flight of stairs and decorated interior walls.
Debris, including piles of wooden planks, lay strewn on the ground as police searched.
In another room you can see various pieces of furniture abandoned, not placed.
A large, unlit room contains what appear to be rows and rows of wooden beds, slightly raised off the floor.
Clothes can still be seen drying in the middle of what appears to be a dwelling.
Pillows and water bottles show signs of life inside the enclosure.
Shoes still line the closets outside the bedrooms, and personal belongings appear in another large, empty room.
The video then cuts to what appears to be another floor, decorated with industrial metal counters and cabinets.
The hallways are lit by lights built into the ceiling, revealing more rows of decorated private rooms.
The door frames are illuminated with blue LED lights, creating an eerie atmosphere in the hallways.
Police go on to reveal a mix of bunk beds and single rooms, some more decorated than others.
A single room has plants, posters and a chest of drawers as well as a carefully made bed.
Others have up to six beds in a room, with simpler decor.
Another room is shown to have at least two double beds, a couch and a wall-mounted TV.
It is unclear what these rooms were used for.
Amanda, the complainant, testified that she was one of many women detained after being forced to have a sexual relationship with Quiboloy “at a young age,” presented as a “special privilege” reserved for a select few, according to the Daily Tribune.
The raid in the early hours of August 24 was met with a terrifying reaction from KOJC members, who were met by a force of approximately 2,000 police officers.
It is understood that a person has suffered A heart attack and died in clashes outside the compound in Davao City.
Police said the death was not related to their operations.
The PNP air unit said KOJC members also attacked one of its helicopters with lasers and military-grade drones to distract and harass its pilots.
At least 18 members were arrested for resisting police dispersal and some were injured.
Police gather in one of the hallways leading to more rooms decorated with bunk beds.
They contrast sharply with the dark, unlit corridors of the basement.
Police believe Quiboloy was holding women captive on three floors of the complex.
Officers brought equipment that could detect people behind concrete walls to the raid as they searched in vain for Quiboloy.
But by mid-afternoon, there was no sign of the preacher at the compound — some 30 hectares (75 acres) that include a cathedral, a school, a living area, a hangar and a taxiway leading to Davao International Airport.
Quiboloy and his lawyer have denied the criminal allegations against him and his religious group, saying they were fabricated by critics and former members, who were expelled from the religious group after committing irregularities.
Quiboloy’s supporters, many of whom filmed the police raid with their cellphones, shouted at the police, questioning the legality of the raid and pronouncing the innocence of Quiboloy, who was a close supporter and spiritual adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte had criticized previous attempts by a large number of police to arrest Quiboloy, calling them over the top.
Reports also claim that media personnel have been harassed and intimidated since the raid.
Supporters have continued to gather in protest in recent days, blocked by riot police.
Police Brigadier General Nicolas Torre III, who led the raid, said officers wanted to serve Quiboloy with arrest warrants for several criminal cases, including child abuse and human trafficking.
He justified the large deployment by saying there were more than 40 buildings and structures that needed to be searched in the religious compound, where a large number of Quiboloy’s followers booed and loudly opposed the raid.
“We’re not leaving here until we get it,” Torre told reporters as sirens blared in the background.
“We have no-bail warrants for Quiboloy and four other people for very serious crimes, including human trafficking, child abuse and other cases.”
Riot police block supporters of religious leader Apollo Quiboloy as they stage a protest rally in front of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Complex (KOJC) in Davao on August 26.
Riot police rest outside the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Complex (KOJC) in Davao City
Quiboloy claims to be God’s appointed son. In 2019, he claimed to have prevented a major earthquake from hitting the southern Philippines.
In 2021, U.S. federal prosecutors announced the indictment of Quiboloy for allegedly having sexual relations with women and underage girls who faced threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” unless they served the self-proclaimed “son of God.”
Quiboloy and two of his top managers were among nine people named in a superseding indictment issued by a federal grand jury and unsealed in November 2021.
The superseding indictment contained a range of charges, including conspiracy, child sex trafficking, forcible sex trafficking, fraud and coercion, marriage fraud, money laundering, cash smuggling and visa fraud.
Quiboloy’s group then said it was willing to face the charges in court, but went into hiding after a Philippine court ordered his arrest and that of several others for child and sexual abuse.
