Controversial religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy has officially become a wanted man, who can be arrested anytime by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
This comes as Sen. Risa Hontiveros, co-chairperson of the Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, asked for a Senate order to arrest the Davao-based pastor, who continues to ignore summons to answer accusations levelled against him by his former followers.
Hontiveros had earlier cited Quiboloy for contempt in snubbing the Senate panel’s hearing on March 5.
The House of Representatives, meanwhile, issued an arrest order on Quiboloy effective March 15. Rep. Johnny Pimentel said the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ can already be arrested by the PNP after the pastor again refused to show up to the House hearings on the operations of the church-owned Sonshine Media Network International.
Aside from the arrest order from the House, the franchise of the media network was also ordered cancelled by a bill that passed on second reading last week.
The House leadership rejected Quiboloy’s lawyer’s bid for a short reprieve.
The difference between the Senate and the House where Quiboloy is concerned is that the latter has been more aggressive in forcing the pastor to show up at its hearings, while in the Senate, the religious leader has four defenders not fully supportive of the call for his arrest.
Led by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, the likes of Imee Marcos, Bong Go and Cynthia Villar have tried to sway their colleagues to go easy on Quiboloy.
Instead of ordering the PNP to arrest Quiboloy, the Senate gave lawyer Melanio Elvis Balayan to submit his response to a show-cause order also on March 15.
The lawyer said he and his client maintain that the ongoing Senate probe “is not in aid of legislation but is tantamount to usurpation of judicial functions beyond the powers of the Senate.”
Balayan said they complied with the Senate body’s directives by submitting the pastor’s reasons for not appearing during the committee’s hearings.
But he maintained that the Hontiveros resolution directing the Senate body to conduct an inquiry on the reported large-scale human trafficking, sexual abuse, and violence involving Quiboloy’s church “is brazenly discriminatory as it categorically declared the guilt of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader.”
Meanwhile, Pimentel said the House committee on legislative franchises has not received any feedback from lawyer Ferdinand Topacio regarding Quiboloy’s absence at the hearing.
The House cited Quiboloy for contempt last week after he continued to skip the hearings on the supposed franchise violations of the Sonshine Media Network, ownership of which has been attributed to the cult leader.
Topacio asked lawyers for a reprieve for his client, saying that he will try to convince Quiboloy to finally show up.
Meanwhile, Quiboloy remained in hiding as of press time. Topacio said the pastor was staying somewhere in the highlands of Davao, seeking “divine guidance.”
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former president Rodrigo Duterte have both advised Quiboloy to face his accusers instead of hiding. This, as Duterte said he had assumed temporary control of the Quiboloy properties during the pastor’s current difficulties.
But Duterte said he was not involving himself in the finances of Quiboloy’s church.
