Senator JV Ejercito on Friday defended himself from criticisms following his decision to withdraw his support for the reversal of the contempt order against Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

In a virtual presser, Ejercito clarified that he retracted his signature to the Reversal of Contempt Citation against Quiboloy as this was the “right thing.”

“I have my reasons for signing... There's nothing wrong with correcting yourself. We're all human. Public perception is secondary, what is important is doing the right thing,” he told reporters when asked if criticisms influenced his change of heart.

“I am also a human. I didn’t withdraw because of the bashing. I am used to it. It’s a matter of doing the right thing,” he added.

Senator Robin Padilla on Thursday named Ejercito as one of the four senators who joined his bid to overturn the contempt order by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality against Quiboloy for persistently skipping the Senate inquiry.

According to him, Ejercito was among Senators Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, and Christopher “Bong” Go, who signed the petition to recall the contempt order

Ejercito, however, retracted his support to the petition hours after Padilla disclosed the information.

In a letter to Padilla, Ejercito explained that the “serious allegations of rape” by former members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ against Quiboly “prompted me to carefully review the facts, witness testimonies and additional information.”

“Recently, I was also informed that the Department of Justice is already pursuing charges of sexual abuse, and qualified trafficking versus Pastor Quiboloy. This brought me to the decision to withdraw my signature,” he added.

Virtual attendance

Citing potential security risks, Ejercito said he is in favor of allowing the controversial church leader to attend the Senate inquiry virtually.

“That was one of the reasons [why] I decided to withdraw because when I talked with Senator Risa we discussed the security risk,” he said.

“I would think so for security reasons. For him and the Senate as a whole that will be practical. I am also worried about the safety issue because he has followers,” he added.

Quiboloy, who is accused of committing rape of members of his congregation, including minors, previously admitted he was in hiding due to alleged threats to his life.

Hontiveros earlier said she is open to the idea of allowing Quiboloy to attend the hearing virtually, however, with one condition.

"He must first demonstrate his willingness to honor the subpoena and appear before the committee before requesting such an arrangement," she said.

With the withdrawal of support of Ejercito, Padilla has until Tuesday or 12 March to complete the eight votes from the members of the Senate panel to be successful in his bid to overturn the contempt order.

The Senate panel is composed of 14 members, including ex officio members such as Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, and Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III.

Padilla disclosed that he failed to get the support of Senators Raffy Tulfo and Grace Poe but noted that he is eyeing the approval of Senators Mark Villar and Pia Cayetano.