The camp of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy on Tuesday denied the church leader had made the demands that Senator Risa Hontiveros reacted to.

In a statement, Quiboloy’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, slammed Hontiveros for reacting to his client’s supposed demands, which he labeled as “obvious fake news.”

“Ms. Risa Hontiveros is quickly going down in history as the funniest senator ever. Imagine reacting, and virulently at that, to what is obviously fake news regarding the so-called demands of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy on the Senate,” Atty. Topacio said.

“Had Ms. Hontiveros been possessed of even a shred of common sense, she should have been alerted to the fact that the ‘demands’ were so exaggerated as to be unrealistic,” he said.

He added: “Yet, such obvious hallmarks of disinformation had eluded her attention, so much so that she is either so dense or perhaps the disinformation was deliberately spread so that Hontiveros could seize on it and further put the pastor in a bad light.”

On Monday, Hontiveros responded to the purported set of conditions circulating on social media allegedly from “influencers” affiliated with Quiboloy regarding his attendance at the Senate inquiry into his alleged crimes.

The lawmaker said she found the demands of the church leader “absurd.”

“What I can say to that is why is the Senate the one that is going to adjust for him? The Senate will not bend its rules and procedures for you, Pastor Quiboloy, even if you are, as you say, a self-appointed son of God. We are not here to follow your orders,” she said.

She added, “You will not mock the system of checks and balances on our watch. This is not up for debate.”

To Topacio, Hontiveros’ “violent reaction” to such an “evidently bogus report reflects badly on her fitness for public office and competence as a senator.”

“But do carry on, Ms. Hontiveros. In the face of mounting prices and the deteriorating peace and order situation, among other problems, the Filipino people could use a good laugh,” he said.

The DAILY TRIBUNE sought comment from Hontiveros’s office, but as of press time, she had yet to make a statement.

Fair trial

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte has joined the growing calls to give Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, accused of child abuse and human trafficking, a fair trial in the proper court.

“Pastor Quiboloy has seemingly been meted out a guilty verdict in hearings even if these are based on the allegations of witnesses who hide their identities and cannot prove their credibility,” Duterte said in a video message.

“Many of us believe that what Pastor Quiboloy is experiencing right now is violence and unfairness,” she said.

Duterte also called the indefinite suspension of the broadcasting network Sonshine Media Network Inc., a media arm of the KoJC, a press freedom issue.

“Incidents and allegations like these are no joke. It deserves to be given a fair fight and in the right court,” she added.

The Vice President urged Filipinos to always pray for justice and truth.

“Justice and the truth cannot be achieved in a trial by publicity but by a day in court,” she said.

House cites Quiboloy in contempt

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives cited Quiboloy in contempt for his continued defiance in appearing before a congressional hearing.

The House Committee on Legislative Franchises, during its Tuesday’s hearing into alleged gross violations committed by the Sonshine Media Network International, unanimously approved to hold the embattled religious leader in contempt after he snubbed, for the nth time, the summons of the panel.

Committee vice chairperson Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, who moved for the contempt order, cited Section 11 of the House Rules, which grants the committee the right to impose sanctions on anyone who refuses to obey the summons and acts disrespectfully.

“In this case, although he is not present the fact he has not been appearing at these hearings, in this committee, just shows that he has no respect for this committee,” Pimentel said. “It just shows that he acts like God, he acts with impunity, he takes this hearing for granted.”

Pimentel said Quiboloy’s no-show at the hearing despite having been subpoenaed is a “very clear” indication that he has no intention of attending even the subsequent inquiries.

Topacio attempted but failed to object to the motion by citing the letter he had sent to panel chairperson Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting over the weekend, seeking to inhibit the religious leader from the probe.

“With all due respect, we believe we have provided legal justification for the non-presence of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in our letter to the committee,” Topacio told the panel.

In the letter, Quiboloy’s camp asserted that his role in SMNI officially ended after its franchise was renewed in August 2019, thus, he needed to possess the specific details or documents that the panel was asking for.

However, committee members did not buy the rationale and steadfastly maintained that Quiboloy was SMNI’s “beneficial owner.”