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

In a virtual press briefing, Ejercito clarified that he retracted his signature to the Reversal of Contempt Citation against Quiboloy as it was the right thing to do.

“I have my reasons for signing... There’s nothing wrong with correcting yourself. Public perception is secondary, what is important is doing the right thing,” he said.

“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 neophyte senator, Ejercito was with Senators Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, and Christopher “Bong” Go in signing the petition to recall the contempt order.

Ejercito, however, retracted his support of 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.

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 Senator Raffy Tulfo and Grace Poe but noted that he is eyeing the approval of Senators Mark Villar and Pia Cayetano.

A similar potential arrest by the House of Representatives would not impel Quiboloy to face its separate investigation, this time on alleged franchise violations of the SMNI media network.

Quiboloy’s legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, in a letter addressed to House Committee on Legislative Franchises chairperson Gus Tambunting, maintained that Quiboloy has not been involved in the management and operations of SMNI, legally operating as Swara Sug Media Corporation, since the last quarter of 2018.

His role in the network was officially ended after its franchise renewal in August 2019, according to Topacio.

“Thus, under the circumstances, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy does not possess the specific details or documents that your Honorable Committee would ask from him,” the letter read.

Quiboloy’s other legal counsels, Joselito Lomangaya and Raphael Antonio Andrada, were also signatories to the letter.

Tambunting previously said they would be compelled to issue an arrest warrant against Quiboloy should he snub anew the summon of the committee.

Quiboloy has been in a no-show on the hearings since December notwithstanding the panel’s invitation.