Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday renewed her call for the Senate leadership to order the arrest of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy.
Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family, and Gender Equality, said this is as a response to the explanation provided by Quiboloy’s camp to the show cause order issued by the Senate last week.
“Quiboloy is already in contempt. That cannot be changed. There was an objection, which was accommodated according to the Rules, but they still did not gather a majority of signatories, so it is clear as day: my ruling stands,” she said in a press conference.
Upon reviewing Quiboloy's response to the show cause order issued by the Senate last week, Hontiveros said that the religious leader's explanation as to why he should not be ordered arrested was "nowhere near satisfactory."
“We, including my legal team, immediately read through and assessed the documents carefully, mindful of due process for the accused but also with a view to ensuring that the Senate as an institution is protected from dilatory tactics of parties,” she said.
“One thing has become clear in our review: his explanation is nowhere near satisfactory. They did nothing but rehash previous arguments they made for not attending our Senate hearings,” she added.
Citing Section 19 of the Senate Rules and Procedure in Investigations in Aid of Legislation, Hontiveros reiterated that the Senate inquiry into Quiboloy’s alleged crimes such as rape and human trafficking, is in aid of legislation.
“Section 19: Privilege Against Self-Incrimination. ‘A witness can invoke his right against self-incrimination only when a question which tends to elicit an answer that will incriminate him is propounded to him. However, he may offer to answer any question in an executive session,’” she said.
“No person can refuse to testify or be placed under oath or affirmation or answer questions before an incriminatory question is asked. His invocation of such right does not by itself excuse him from his duty to give testimony,” she added.
She continued: “This is clearer than the sunlight. This should have settled the discussion.”
She then detailed the possible areas for additional legislation that were discussed during the previous Senate hearings.
“The hearings surfaced potential gaps in legislation, including the question of ‘consent’ in rape and sexual abuse in the context of secretive charismatic religious organizations; the treatment of ‘religious volunteers’ in labor and occupational safety laws; and liabilities for human trafficking and other capital crimes when religious freedom is invoked,” she said.
“Proposed Senate Resolution No. 884 actually mentioned with specificity the legislative purpose of the investigation and the desired reforms in our human trafficking laws,” she added.
Hontiveros also debunked assumptions that the resolution that she filed in December and paved the way for the Senate investigation into Quiboloy’s alleged crimes is incriminatory.
“Again, we have never claimed to be the judge. The Senate is not a court,” she said. “A Senate resolution has no effect and force of law and can make no such legal determination of guilt, or deprive anyone, including Quiboloy, of life, liberty or property as a result of its material averments or findings.”
Likewise, the lady lawmaker responded to Quiboloy’s assertion that the Senate is not the proper venue for him to clear his name.
Citing a Supreme Court decision in 2009, she stressed that the Court said that “despite the pendency of a criminal or administrative case, the Senate is allowed to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation.”
“[A]nd very clearly held that ‘the Court has no authority to prohibit a Senate committee from requiring persons to appear and testify before it in connection with an inquiry in aid of legislation in accordance with its duly published rules of procedure.”
Hontiveros also lambasted Quiboloy’s legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, who earlier denied the supposed sets of conditions of his client to attend the Senate inquiry into his alleged crimes.
“The need to hold him in contempt has grown stronger because, even after the March 5, 2024 contempt citation, upheld on 12 March 2024, Quiboloy continues to brazenly taunt and make a mockery of the Committee and, consequently, the Philippine Senate, by releasing through his supporters a list of 17 conditions before he appears,” she said.
“We were even attempted to be deceived by his lawyer, Atty. Topacio, who called it fake news, but Quiboloy himself admitted it. Quiboloy confirmed that he authorized the release of these conditions at a ‘Gikan sa Masa Para sa Masa’ event with vloggers,” she added.
To recall, Topacio denied that his client made the supposed demands which Hontiveros reacted to, labeling them as “obvious fake news.”
"Ms. Risa Hontiveros is quickly going down in history as the funniest Senator ever. Imagine reacting — and virulently at that — on what is obviously fake news regarding the so-called 'demands' of Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy on the Senate,” he said.
"Had Ms. Hontiveros been possessed of even a shred of common sense, she should have been alerted to the fact that the 'demands' are so exaggerated as to be unrealistic,” she added.
He continued: “Yet, such obvious hallmarks of disinformation has 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.”
However, Hontiveros reiterated that Quiboloy made those demands by presenting video clips of the church leader admitting his supposed demands.
“This level of mockery of a Constitutional exercise of duty by a Committee of the Philippine Senate is unprecedented and disturbing, and further confirms Quiboloy’s undue refusal to appear before the Committee, pursuant to Section 18 of the Senate Rules,” she said.
“Considering all these, once again, I request for the Senate President to issue an arrest order against Apollo C. Quiboloy. He must show up. He must respect the institution of the Senate,” she added.
She, likewise, called on her colleagues in the upper chamber to stand up for their institution.
“To my colleagues in the Senate, let us not allow him to belittle our respected institution. If we do not stand up against his blatant disrespect for the Senate, I do not know where this will lead us,” she said.
For his part, Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said that he would review the response of Quiboloy’s camp to the show cause order issued by the Senate last week.
“I just got back last night from the President’s trip to the Czech Republic (I stayed behind for one day as I paid for my own flight),” Zubiri told reporters in a Viber message.
“I shall review the reply of Pastor Quiboloy and Senator Risa today so we can give a decision soonest,” she added.