The Supreme Court’s (SC) approval of the request to transfer to Metro Manila the child and sexual abuse cases lodged before a court in Davao City against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) leader Apollo C. Quiboloy is a welcome development, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said yesterday.
The SC Second Division cited the influence of the accused in Davao City and possible security issues considering that the public interest is at stake in heeding the DoJ’s request to transfer the cases to Quezon City to avoid a miscarriage of justice.
“This is a breakthrough in our pursuit of justice as we relentlessly delve into the truth behind all these accusations against the embattled church leader,” Remulla said.
He said fear for the safety of witnesses, judges, prosecutors and their families would no longer exist and the wheels of justice can now freely roll.
Aside from the sexual abuse cases, Quiboloy is facing non-bailable charges for human trafficking before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court.
SC quizzed
The camp of Quiboloy, meanwhile, expressed surprise at the SC decision.
Quiboloy’s counsel, Israelito Torreon, said the ruling failed to follow Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) Circular 162-2022-A which simplified the procedure for transferring the venue of cases.
Under the circular, the transfer request should be filed directly with the court where the case is pending. The presiding judge will then comment on the request and issue an order for the parties to submit their comments within five days.
The judge is then mandated to forward the request and comments to the OCA within five days for transmission to the SC.
“The procedure has not been followed in this case as we did not even receive a copy of the petition itself,” Torreon said.
“Knowing the foregoing, there may have been a violation of due process as the parties were never heard on the matter,” he added.
Quiboloy’s lawyer also surmised that the High Court’s decision was based on “unfounded and unsubstantiated” claims of bias in the Davao City court which should be construed as an attack on the judiciary.