Zubiri signs order for Quiboloy’s arrest

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SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday signed the order directing the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant at Arms (OSAA) to arrest Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Pastor Quiboloy for his repeated snub of the Committee on Women’s investigation into the alleged abuses committed by the religious against former members his group.

The arrest order reads: “The Sergeant-at-Arms is hereby directed to carry out and implement this Order and make a return hereof within 24 hours from its enforcement. So ordered.”

Zubiri, in an interview with reporters, said the Senate “did our best” to give Quiboloy due process and even contacted a number of intermediaries to convince him to attend the hearings, but to not avail.

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“I requested the chairperson (Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros) to give out a show cause order… (but) Pastor Quiboloy’s camp’s answer (was) not satisfactory on the part of the committee. And therefore, we have no other choice but to issue the warrant of arrest,” he said.

“We tried out best, even back-channeling talks to ask Pastor Quiboloy to attend… (we tried to contact him) the best possible way we can through other intermediaries, but he does not really want to go here (in the Senate). So, we have not other choice but issue the warrant of arrest,” he added in a mix of Filipino and English.

Zubiri said the decision to arrest Quiboloy or any other resource person who snubs committee hearings is made solely by the chairpersons of Senate committees, and that his signature on the arrest warrant is purely “ministerial.”

“We have to respect the committee’s decision because here in the Senate, the committee system is highly regarded… So, as far as we are concerned, we comply with due process, we did everything we can but he really does not like to attend. So again, with due respect, my signature is ministerial on that part to release the arrest order,” he explained.

The Senate leader also said Quiboloy cannot appeal before the plenary the committee’s decision to have him arrested because such is limited to the committee level, based on the rules of the Senate.

Once arrested, Zubiri said Hontiveros’ committee should immediately conduct a hearing so that Quiboloy can air his side, pointing out that committees can hold hearing even while Congress is on recess.

Congress will go on its summer break starting on March 23 and will resume regular sessions on April 29.

Hontiveros thanked Zubiri for signing the arrest order.

“Salamat kay Senate President Migz Zubiri sa kanyang pagpirma sa arrest order. Walang karapatan si Quiboloy na yurakan ang dignidad ng Senado. Ang pangbabastos niya sa institusyong ito ay hindi talaga dapat palagpasin (I would like to thank Senate President Migz Zubiri for signing the arrest order. Quiboloy has no right to tarnish the dignity of the Senate. We can set aside and disregard the rudeness that he has shown towards the institution),” she said.

Hontiveros, in her arrest order, said Quiboloy snubbed the committee hearings on January 23, February 19, and March 5 despite being given invitations and a subpoena, and merely sent his legal counsel to attend on bis behalf.

She said Quiboloy’s repeated failure to attend the hearings caused the delay of the proceedings.

Quiboloy has been accused by former KOJC members of rape, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and child abuse, among others.

CRIMINAL RAPS

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday said sexual and child abuse charges have been filed against Quiboloy before the Davao city regional trial court.

Specifically, Quiboloy faces charges of violating Section 5(b) of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Anti-Child Abuse Law for sexual abuse of a minor.

Additional charges under Section 10(a) of the same law were also filed against Quiboloy, along with his associates identified as Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada, and Sylvia Cemanes.

The said provision of RA 7610 deals with “other acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty or exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to (a) child’s development.”

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Meanwhile, the DOJ said a complaint for qualified trafficking in persons was filed against Quiboloy and his co-respondents before the Pasig city regional trial court after being endorsed by the Davao City prosecutor’s office to the DOJ main office.

“Pursuant to Department Order 144, the Task Force on Women and Children and Against Trafficking In Persons was directed to prepare the necessary Information against respondents Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, Jackielyn W. Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid C. Canada, and Slyvia Cemañes for the crime of qualified human trafficking under Section 4 (a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended,” the DOJ said.

DOJ assistant secretary and spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said the cases in Davao were filed “last week,” and the case in Pasig “yesterday.”

“Pasig took longer because of the endorsement back to DOJ main,” Clavano said, adding “the endorsement back to DOJ is part of the process when the crime is not within the jurisdiction of the courts where the resolution was issued.”

“Upon endorsement back to DOJ, we forwarded the endorsement to Pasig where an information was filed in the Pasig court,” he added.

Clavano said the Davao court set a P180, 000 bail for Quiboloy for the “sexual assault and P80, 000 for the maltreatment case.”

To recall, the Davao city prosecutors office initially dismissed the complaints of rape, child abuse, trafficking in persons through forced labor and trafficking in persons through sexual abuse against Quiboloy and the five other individuals.

The complainant, who was a former member of the Davao-based KOJC who claimed that she was sexually abused in 2014, appealed the decision and filed a petition for review in 2020 before the Office of the DOJ secretary.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla granted the petition for review and reversed the dismissal of the case early this month and ordered the Davao city prosecutors office to refile the case.

Remulla has previously said he will ask the Supreme Court to transfer the venue of the sexual abuse cases from Davao city to Manila, with the cases to be handled by a special panel of state prosecutors.

CARETAKER DUTERTE

At the House, Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) said former president Rodrigo Duterte’s appointment as Quiboloy’s asset caretaker “raises more doubts on the connections of the two and talk of money laundering issues between them.”

“Sa esensya, si Duterte ay katulong sa pagkukubli na mapanagot ang isang taong hinahanap ng batas at ang mga kaso ng taong ito sa US maging dito sa bansa ay di basta-basta (In essence, Duterte is among those covering up to protect a person who is wanted by the law and the cases this person is facing in the US AND here in our country is not ordinary),” she said.

Whether Duterte’s appointment as the wanted pastor’s property caretaker takes effect or not, Castro said Quiboloy’s trust in the former president remains “dubious.”

“Mas lalong dapat bantayan yung posibilidad na ituloy on the claim na ‘inability’ ni Quiboloy (We should be more vigilant against Quiboloy’s claim of ‘inability,’,” she said. “As it is, the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Network (SALN) of former President Duterte has still not been released and we still do not know up till how big his assets have grown since he became president.”

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a House deputy majority leader, urged Duterte to explain why he has been tapped by Quiboloy as the administrator of his assets, saying it “can be misconstrued as hiding something because you have to get somebody powerful to do that.”

“Either nahiya siya na sabihing hindi o kung (Either he was too shy to say no or maybe) he’s doing it as a friend or he is doing it as a lawyer. So, all of these questions can properly be answered by the former president,” Garin said. “Now the best person to answer that issue should be the former president.” — With Ashzel Hachero and Wendell Vigilia

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