Apollo Quiboloy (File photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥斅� Apollo Quiboloy denied in a 36-minute video released on Wednesday the sexual abuse allegations made by former members of his Davao City-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC).
Quiboloy聽said he was being accused of rape because he rejected the women 鈥渇ighting over鈥� him.
He said the women who were supposedly maligning him were suffering from what he called a 鈥淧otiphar鈥檚 wife syndrome.鈥�
鈥淚 did not marry. Now, I am being accused by so many women,鈥� he said in Filipino. 鈥淭his is my fault: The Lord God made me rich. They thought I was single, and they鈥檙e fighting over me.鈥�
鈥淎nd when I say no, they will be humiliated and will take revenge against me,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I call Potiphar鈥檚 wife syndrome.鈥�
Potiphar鈥檚 wife, Iempsar, is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Bible who falsely accused Joseph of sexual abuse after he rejected her sexual advances.
Quiboloy said it took him some time to respond to the allegations because he did not want his accusers to be embarrassed.
His accusers were supposedly his personal assistants or 鈥減astrorals.鈥�
鈥淚 have not spoken like this because these women will be humiliated. They are fighting. It is difficult to say, but they are fighting because of me,鈥� he said.
The religious leader also said that his accusers were trying to get married to him for his money.
鈥淭hey called their parents and said they will become rich if this happens,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey were humiliated. Now they are bought and are twisting the stories.鈥�
The preacher did not show his face in the video.
In response to his video statement, Sen. Risa Hontiveros told Quiboloy not to 鈥減lay victim.鈥�
Hontiveros is leading the Senate inquiry on the religious leader鈥檚 alleged offenses.
During a Senate hearing on January 23, three of Quiboloy鈥檚 former followers, including two Ukrainian women, accused him of repeatedly raping them for years.
The two chambers of Congress each summoned the pastor to appear in their hearings on the allegations against him.
Quiboloy is also facing complaints in the United States where he was declared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation a wanted person in 2022.
The FBI made the move following the preacher鈥檚 involvement in sex trafficking, among other felonies.