Fact check: Afghan refugees won’t occupy KOJC compound

September 10, 2024 | 1:10pm

 MANILA, Philippines — Afghan refugees who will temporarily stay in the Philippines while awaiting permanent resettlement in the United States will not take over the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City, contrary to claims by TikTok and Facebook accounts supporting Apollo Quiboloy. 

CLAIM: 50,000 Afghans are set to “take over” the compound of KOJC, the church Quiboloy founded, before taking over the “entire Davao City.”

RATING: This is false.

FACTS:

What the posts say

TikTok account “agilangdavao_2024” posted a static video on August 26 that quotes pro-Duterte vlogger Sass Sasot as saying: 

“First take over, KOJC compound. Then next, entire Davao City. The U.S. wants to establish a drone center in Davao City since 2013 pa. Mga Duterte ang balakid. If you don’t take your city back Davaceños, it will be too late.”

The video also includes a warning: “Act Now Before Its too late! … 50,000 Afghans will arrive soon and they will take over the KOJC compound.”

The text attributed to Sasot was lifted word-per-word from an August 25 post by the Facebook page “For the Motherland – Sass Rogando Sasot.”
 
A screengrab of Sasot’s statement as shown in the TikTok video was reposted by dozens of Facebook accounts that appear to support Quiboloy and/or oppose the Marcos administration’s pro-United States policies from August 25 to September 8.

 

What the posts left out 

The number of Afghan refugees that the Philippines will temporarily host is not 50,000, as falsely claimed.

According to a Washington Post report, which cited unnamed US government officials, the actual number of Afghan applicants who will temporarily stay in the Philippines while waiting for their US visas is “about 300.”

Meanwhile, a senior government official who spoke to the Associated Press on background said the number is “only 150 to 300” as part of a “one-time” deal. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also said in a statement on August 20 that the agreement only covers “a limited number of Afghan nationals” who will stay in the Philippines for no longer than 59 days.  

“The Philippines and the United States have agreed on allowing a limited number of Afghan nationals to transit to the Philippines to complete their visa processing for special immigrant visas and resettlement to the United States,” the DFA said in a statement. 

Contrary to Sasot and others’ warnings, the Afghan nationals will not stay in the KOJC compound, a private property that authorities have neither confiscated nor cleared for any kind of resettlement. 

Instead, they will temporarily reside in an unspecified facility operated by the US State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, according to the US embassy in Manila.  

Essential context

Police personnel’s two-week manhunt for Quiboloy involved conducting numerous operations at the 30-hectare KOJC compound, where authorities repeatedly said the KOJC founder and his cohorts were hiding. 

On August 24, a day before Sasot posted her statement, a standoff took place at the KOJC compound as around 2,000 police personnel tried but failed to serve warrants of arrest against Quiboloy and others. 

Based on what charges? A Pasig City court issued its warrant of arrest against Quiboloy on April 11 based on qualified human trafficking charges, which is a non-bailable offense. 

Meanwhile, a Davao City court ordered his arrest on April 3 based on charges of violating Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law, specifically the provision on sexual abuse and maltreatment of minors. 
 
Quiboloy was taken into custody on Sunday, September 8. Davao police director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III said on Monday, September 9, that the wanted sex trafficker had surrendered after being cornered inside the KOJC compound. 

RELATED: Quiboloy supporters push conspiracy: Afghan refugees to ‘take over’ KOJC compound  

Why we fact-checked this  

The TikTok video that carried Sasot’s false claim was shared over 1,000 times. It also garnered over 493,000 views.

Meanwhile, Sasot’s Facebook post earned over 1,900 shares, 9,400 reactions and over 781 comments. 

Comments on both posts expressed fear or anger over the Marcos administration’s decision to allow Afghan refugees entry into the Philippines. Other accounts and personalities that echoed these claims tagged the Afghan refugees as “terrorists” or “radicals.”

However, these Afghan nationals who will temporarily stay in the Philippines while awaiting their US visas are mostly former employees of the US government in Afghanistan. 

They are seeking safe passage after the Taliban took control of their country in 2021 following the withdrawal of US troops there. 

Since assuming power in 2021, the Taliban has carried out revenge killings and enforced disappearances against former police, army and intelligence officers. 

In 2023, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan estimated that the Taliban had carried out more than 200 extrajudicial killings and over 400 arbitrary arrests and detention of former Afghan government officials and security forces.