The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality asserted its authority, on Tuesday, by ordering the arrest of influential religious leader Apollo Quiboloy.
This, after Quiboloy, who earlier admitted to hiding due to alleged threats to his life, deliberately refused to attend the Senate inquiry into alleged sexual and physical abuses committed by him and other members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God,” refused to face the accusations against him and his church despite the issuance of a subpoena from the upper chamber.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, who is spearheading the investigation against the church leader, carried out her prior warning to Quiboloy regarding his persistent refusal to attend the Senate inquiry.
“Pursuant to Section 18 of the Rules of the Senate, as chair of the Committee, with the concurrence of one member here with me, I cite in contempt Apollo Carreon Quiboloy for his refusal to be sworn or to testify before this investigation. This committee requests the Senate President to order his arrest so that he may be brought to testify,” Hontiveros said.
Before making the motion, the senator revealed that Quiboloy's camp sent a letter on 28 February to her and Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri.
The letter, which was signed by lawyer Melanio Balayan, requested the recall of the subpoena issued to Quiboloy.
"With all due respect to Your Honors and the Senate as an institution, we hereby submit that the issuance and enforcement of the said Subpoena is in wanton violation of the fundamental and sacred constitutional rights of our Client against self-incrimination and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt," Balayan's letter read.
He also noted in the letter that Quiboloy’s presence in the ongoing Senate inquiry is “useless” as Hontiveros “declared that the committee can come up with a report with or without the participation of Pastor Quiboloy.”
“The essence of due process of law—that hears before it condemns—is being rendered useless under the present circumstances. We thus invoke our Client's right against further incrimination by recusing himself from the ongoing investigation," he said.
Minutes after the motion to cite Quiboloy in contempt was made, Senator Robin Padilla appeared before the Senate panel to oppose the said motion.
"Ipagpaumanhin na po ninyo, akin pong tinututulan ang naging pasya na ma-contempt si Pastor Quiboloy. With all due respect (Please excuse me but I object to the decision to cite Quiboloy in contempt. With all due respect)," Padilla said.
He did not divulge his reason for objecting to the motion.
Hontiveros said Padilla's objection is "well-noted," adding Section 18 of the rules of procedure governing inquiries in aid of legislation allows the majority of all members of the committee to "reverse or modify" the order of contempt within seven days.
The Senate panel's resumption of the investigation into Quiboloy's alleged crimes was met with a noisy demonstration by his supporters outside the Senate building.
Dressed in white shirts bearing the words "Justice for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy”, the church leader’s supporters called for Hontiveros' resignation.
While they were holding a protest, Hontiveros’ panel presented two more witnesses to testify to the alleged money-making schemes by Quiboloy’s church.
Dindo Macquiling, who was working as a manager of a toy company in Canada before joining as executive director of Children's Joy Foundation, a foundation established by Quiboloy, narrated how Quiboloy used the organization to support his lavish lifestyle.
Contrary to the foundation’s claims, Macquiling said there were only less than 300 children who were benefitting from the organization.
“Most of the children that were there were children of full-time miracle workers. So, it was not really intended to help the poor,” he said. “They were able to help a few individuals from poverty, but they were very few. They were claiming that thousands of children were being fed.”
He noted that the financial assistance the organization was receiving from various institutions abroad was being used without any proper documentation.
“All the money that we collect here, here what was happening, were being released without my knowledge,” he said.
“So, most of the funds, I can see it in their reports, was not really received by the children. That was the time I questioned it,” he said.
in 2019, he resigned from his post at the foundation. Months later, all his answers about the missing money collected by the foundation were answered.
“I said: Oh my God. This was the afternoon he was caught in Hawaii – that has been their system. They collect the money from North America to bring it to the Philippines through the jet. So there would be no fees or deductions,” he said.
