Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdome draws 80,000 followers and Duterte backing despite custody

Though in custody on sex charges, Apollo Quiboloy still drew 80,000 followers and Duterte backing for his 75,000-seat Kingdome launch

The presence of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s youngest son at the opening of detained televangelist Apollo Quiboloy’s 75,000-seat Kingdome stadium this week offered a striking display of how ties between the Duterte family and the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) have endured despite the criminal cases surrounding its founder.

Observers say the lavish inauguration, attended by an estimated 80,000 people alongside Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, proved the organisation’s ability to maintain its political and institutional influence, even with its founder behind bars.

The event on Tuesday also featured an official city council tribute to Quiboloy and his church.

Quiboloy, who denies all allegations against him, remains in custody in the Philippines on charges of human trafficking and sexual abuse. Authorities are also reviewing a formal US request for his extradition.

Touted by local officials as a new architectural landmark, the Kingdome is now the world’s largest indoor arena, surpassing the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena owned by another megachurch, the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), in Bulacan province north of Manila.

The venue, where construction began in 2012, sits on the sprawling 30-hectare (2.15 million sq ft) KJC compound in Davao City. The site was the location of a 16-day police operation before the self-appointed “Son of God” pastor surrendered in September 2024. His legal counsel later called the surrender an “ultimate sacrifice” to avoid further “lawless violence” in the compound.

Quiboloy and eight associates were indicted by a US federal grand jury in 2021. He is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy and bulk cash smuggling. He is also accused of running a labour-trafficking scheme that forced church members on fraudulent visas to solicit donations for a non-existent charity.