Philippines’ Duterte faces ‘Achilles heel’ in election over his links to wanted pastor

Duterte had named Quiboloy as his spiritual adviser during his time in office. The father of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio continues to show support for the pastor, condemning the current Philippine administration for “demonising” Quiboloy, who faces human trafficking and fraud allegations.

Analysts say the ongoing hunt for Quiboloy is another sign of the “deterioration of the erstwhile civil relations” between the Duterte and Marcos camps.

On August 7, a Philippine court ordered the freezing of assets of Quiboloy and nine of his associates, as well as those of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), his media company Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), and his charity Children’s Joy Foundation, Inc.

Authorities again served warrants of arrest for child abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking charges against Quiboloy and several of his associates at the KOJC compound in Davao City on Friday. Quiboloy was nowhere to be found on the sprawling 30-hectare property.

Jan Robert Go, associate professor at the University of the Philippines’ political science department, told This Week in Asia: “With the breakdown of the Marcos-Duterte alliance, Quiboloy could be one of the casualties.”

Maria Ela Atienza, also a political science professor from the University of the Philippines, said efforts to preserve the so-called UniTeam – the alliance between Marcos Jnr and Duterte-Carpio in the 2022 elections – have shielded Quiboloy from arrests before the coalition broke down.

“Now, because the UniTeam is no more, the political motivations of the Marcos administration and his allies, combined with the decreasing influence of the Dutertes as well as more vocal public support and awareness are combining to put pressure on the justice