One of the accusers of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy challenged him to attend the upcoming Senate inquiry into the alleged crimes linked to his religious sect, Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name (KOJC).
Minnesota-based Arlene Stone, who once served as Quiboloy’s “pastoral” – a group of women supposedly assigned specific personal tasks and errands for the pastor–said the time has come for the religious leader to directly confront his accusers.
“Face us and admit what you did. Don’t try to hide from anyone… He has been dodging the justice system, both in the US and in the Philippines,” Stone said in a recent interview with ABS-CBN News.
“The main objective here is to hold him accountable. There are women out there, there are young kids out there who are being abused and until now they are still going through that,” she added.
The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equity, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, is scheduled to start its probe on Quiboloy and KOJC on Jan. 23.
Hontiveros said her committee will require Quiboloy’s presence as she requested the Department of Justice to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order to prevent him from leaving the country.
The lawmaker previously filed a resolution urging the Senate to swiftly launch an inquiry into the alleged misconduct by Quiboloy and his group, detailing grave accusations that include human trafficking, rape, and sexual and physical abuse.
The resolution noted that Quiboloy had a stable of women who performed various personal tasks such as washing his clothes, bathing him, cleaning his bedroom, and massaging him.
Quiboloy’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, dismissed the upcoming Senate probe as a witch-hunt, adding that it was “improper.”
“These shameful allegations will be tried in the courts of the United States,” Topacio said.Quiboloy and his associates at KOJC face indictments for conspiracy to allegedly engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion in the US.The 74-page indictment accused Quiboloy and other church officials, including two US-based administrators, of orchestrating a sex-trafficking operation.Victims as young as 12 were allegedly threatened with “eternal damnation” and physical abuse.Meanwhile, the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Thursday filed an appeal before the National Telecommunications Commission and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board following the suspension of its operation and programs.SMNI lawyers Mark Tolentino and Rolex Suplico filed a motion for a Bill of Particulars before the NTC, asking the agency to specify and detail the violations of its franchise.“The order of 19 December 2023 did not specify the violation, by the respondent, of its Certificate of Public Convenience, which is within the purview and jurisdiction of this Honorable Office. As such the respondent cannot intelligently file a responsive pleading without first being informed of the charges against it, particularly its violation of its Certificate of Public Convenience,” SMNI said.Last month, NTC imposed a 30-day suspension on the operations of SMNI over reported violations of its franchise provisions.SMNI also filed two motions for reconsideration to overturn the MTRCB suspension of its programs — the “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” show hosted by former President Rodrigo Duterte, and the “Laban Kasama ang Bayan.”SMNI said the suspension violates its right to freedom of speech, freedom of expression of the press, and due process of law.
