Lawyers file ethics complaint vs Hontiveros

An ethics complaint will be filed on Thursday against Senator Risa Hontiveros at the Senate for her alleged use of a witness in a Senate hearing who later recanted and accused her of bribery and the kidnapping of minors, among other things.

Based on the 13-page complaint-affidavit to be filed by lawyers Ferdinand Topacio, Jacinto Paras and Manny Luna, one of the grounds cited was Hontiveros’ presentation of Michael Maurillo as a witness in early 2024 regarding alleged abuses at the Davao City compound of the Apollo Quiboloy-led Kingdom of Jesus Christ and at Sonshine Media Network International.

Maurillo also testified that former President Rodrigo Duterte received firearms from Quiboloy, but he retracted the statement in June 2025.

“Thereafter, in a video circulated online, Maurillo accused Senator Hontiveros of paying him P1 million to lie and implicate Pastor Quiboloy, former President Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte. He thereafter retracted his testimony and cleared Pastor Quiboloy, former President Duterte and Vice President Duterte of any wrongdoing,” the complaint, secured by DAILY TRIBUNE, said.

The lawyers also cited a sworn statement by Mark Clarence Manalo who claimed that Hontiveros’ driver, Ryan Tazo, gave money to one of the witnesses in the 2023 Pharmally probe, identified only as “V-jay,” to testify falsely against Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp.

“Manalo accused Senator Hontiveros of bribing V-jay to testify in the Senate hearing against Pharmally,” the complaint said.

Pharmally has been embroiled in a scandal over allegations of overpriced medical supplies delivered to the Philippine government at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hontiveros was also accused of kidnapping a minor. The lawyers alleged that “she tried to hide and keep for herself three minor children who were supposed to be witnesses in the Senate investigation of the so-called Kian de los Santos case,” where the teenager was killed by police officers.

That incident was among the subjects of a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against Hontiveros and her alleged co-conspirators for kidnapping through failure to return a minor, inducing a minor to abandon home, obstruction of justice and wiretapping.

Other cases cited in the ethics complaint included Hontiveros’ alleged unauthorized custody of the so-called “Concepcion minors.”