In a recent development, Senator Robin Padilla has made a plea to the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality, urging them to refrain from mandating Apollo Quiboloy, the head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), to provide testimony in its investigations once the Department of Justice (DOJ) commences its legal actions against him. This request was formalized in a letter addressed to Senator Risa Hontiveros, the committee’s chairperson, on March 11, with details made public on March 13.
Padilla’s request comes in the wake of the DOJ’s decision on March 4 to initiate criminal proceedings against Quiboloy, highlighting a significant move in the legal landscape surrounding the religious leader. In his appeal, Padilla references the 1991 Supreme Court decision in Bengzon Jr. v. Senate, which asserts the separation of powers among the branches of government, suggesting that congressional inquiries should not interfere with matters that fall within the judiciary’s purview.
The ongoing Senate investigation focuses on allegations of human trafficking and sexual abuse against Quiboloy. A notable moment in this inquiry occurred last week when Quiboloy was cited for contempt by Senator Hontiveros for disregarding the Senate’s subpoena, claiming his right to due process—a move that Senator Padilla contested.
In efforts to challenge the contempt citation, Padilla sought the backing of the majority of the Senate committee members, as allowed by the Senate’s rules. However, he only managed to secure the support of five members, failing to meet the required majority to overturn the contempt order. Senators Imee Marcos, Cynthia Villar, Mark Villar, and Bong Go sided with Padilla, while Senator JV Ejercito initially showed support but later retracted his endorsement due to the grave nature of the accusations against Quiboloy.
As the deadline approached for rallying the majority’s support to prevent Quiboloy’s arrest, Padilla delivered a speech appealing for the committee to reconsider its stance and issue a show cause order to Quiboloy. Following this, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri stated that a show cause order would precede any contempt order against Quiboloy, leading to both Zubiri and Hontiveros signing an order demanding Quiboloy to justify within 48 hours why he should not be detained for failing to comply with committee hearing notices.