DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 5 March)—The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality has requested Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to order the arrest of international evangelist Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy for his refusal to attend and testify during an investigation on Tuesday.
Senator Risa Hontiveros during the hearing on Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy.
Senator Risa Hontiveros, committee chair, cited Quiboloy in contempt for his refusal to heed the subpoena served on him to appear in the Senate investigation.
“Pursuant to Section 18 of the Rules of the Senate as chair of the committee and with the concurrence of one member here with me, I cite in contempt Pastor Apollo Carreon Quiboloy for his refusal to be sworn or to testify before this investigation. This committee requests Senate President to order his arrest so that he may be brought to testify,” she said.
Quiboloy was represented by his counsel, lawyer Elvis Balayan, during the hearing.
Hontiveros said Quiboloy conveyed through Balayan his refusal to attend the hearing, alleging that it violated his constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty and right against self-incrimination.
Quoting in part the response of Quiboloy’s camp to the subpoena, Hontiveros said the counsel of the pastor claimed that compelling him “to appear before the committee that already pronounced him guilty would be violative of his constitutional right against self-incrimination and to be presumed innocent unless proven guilty.”
Hontiveros said, however, allowing the witnesses to set up as defense that their appearance in Senate would violate their constitutional rights would only diminish its authority to conduct investigations.
“If we allow witnesses of the Senate to simply claim that appearing before the committee would violate his constitutional right to be presumed innocent, his or her right against self-incrimination, wala na pong kapangyarihan ang ating Senado na maglunsad ng investigation. Madaling madali na lang umiwas sa mga hearing ng Blue Ribbon sa mga tiwaling opisyal, sa mga imbestigasyon ng public order committee sa mga sangkot sa mga krimen. Hindi po uubra ang ganitong mga excuse (our Senate will no longer have the power to launch investigation. It will be easier to skip hearings of the Blue Ribbon on corrupt officials, investigations of public order for those involved in crimes. These excuses will not work),” she said.
However, Senator Robin Padilla interrupted the hearing to oppose the order of contempt, but did not cite his grounds for his objections.
Hontiveros, citing the Senate Rules of Procedure governing inquiries in aid of legislation, said that the committee members have seven days to rule on the objection.
According to the Senate Rules, “majority of all the members of the Committee may, however, reverse or modify the aforesaid order of contempt within seven days” from the ruling.
The Senate Committee chaired by Hontiveros has 11 members.
Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. MindaNews file photo by MANMAN DEJETO
The hearing was conducted to look into the “reported cases of large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse and violence, and child abuse of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) under its leader Apollo Quiboloy.”
Quiboloy in a voice message aired on February 21 on the YouTube channel of Sonshine Media, said he is in hiding for fear of his life, claiming the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and other US authorities, aided by the Philippine government, are out to eliminate him.”
Since November 10, 2021, he and two others in his church have been on the “wanted” list of United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for “conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
