For impartiality and fair play, House leaders have backed the move of the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) to transfer Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s cases from Davao City to Pasig City, where the non-bailable offense of qualified human trafficking against him is pending.

House Assistant Majority Leader Raul Angelo “Jill” Bongalon said the venue change is necessary to ensure neutrality in the entire course of the legal proceedings.

“Can you imagine sending the victims of harassment, and human trafficking to Davao City, to the place where it happened? Out of fear, they might not be able to testify,” Bongalon, a lawyer, said.

Manila Rep. Joel Chua made clear that moving legal proceedings to another court is not an unusual practice, especially when “the law thinks there will be a whitewash, or the person influences the area.”

In the same vein, shifting Quiboloy’s cases away from his home court would help insulate the case from any due interference and create an atmosphere of uncertainty within Davao City, according to Assistant Majority Leader Zia Adiong.