Senate Issues Subpoena VS Quiboloy; Duterte React
DUTERTE – Former president Rodrigo Duterte reacted to the Senate subpoena of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy.
The Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms has issued a subpoena to Apollo Quiboloy, the leader of the Davao-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), as part of a Senate investigation into allegations of human trafficking, s*xual abuse, violence, and other offenses involving Quiboloy and his group.
The subpoena, received by Quiboloy’s lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes in Davao on Thursday, February 22, requires Quiboloy to appear before a Senate committee chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros at 10 am on March 5. The Senate Committee on Women, children, family relations, and gender equality has scheduled its third hearing on the alleged abuses within the KOJC for that date.
Senator Risa Hontiveros had previously warned that she would hold Apollo Quiboloy in contempt and order his arrest if he failed to attend the March 5 Senate hearing. This warning was issued in response to Quiboloy’s statement, shared through an audio recording on social media, claiming he was in hiding due to a supposed plot to abduct and assassinate him.
In the recording, Quiboloy alleged violations of his constitutional rights and claimed that he, along with other KOJC leaders, was targeted for assassination by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The US embassy in Manila dismissed these claims, asserting that Quiboloy had been engaged in serious human rights abuses, including r*pe of minors, and was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
Quiboloy and several KOJC associates have been wanted in the US since late 2021, facing charges such as sex trafficking, marriage fraud, misuse of visas, money laundering, and other offenses.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, both offered similar counsel to embattled televangelist Apollo Quiboloy: It’s time to face the music.
The President, speaking on Wednesday, encouraged the controversial founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ to participate in the inquiries conducted by the Senate and the House of Representatives. This would provide him with an opportunity to present his perspective regarding the accusations against him and his Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
Regarding Duterte, the ex-president suggested that his friend and spiritual adviser should simply just “get arrested” if he intends to disregard the summonses from the Senate and the House. The leaders of these institutions had issued threats of arrest and detention should Quiboloy fail to appear at the upcoming hearings.
“This is a free country. If you don’t want to go there, then get arrested,” Duterte said at a press conference in Davao City late Tuesday night.
When asked about whether he would recommend the pastor’s attendance at the hearings, Duterte mentioned that his friend had the liberty to decide for himself.
He pointed out that while Quiboloy was confronted with various charges in the United States, notably for child sex trafficking, he wasn’t dealing with such allegations in the Philippines, thus he had the freedom to travel and operate without hindrance.
“Extradition takes a long process,” Duterte said.