Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy taken April 25, 2023. Photo from the Official Page of Senator Bong Go
A lawyer for televangelist Apollo Quiboloy has received the copy of a subpoena requiring him to appear in the next Senate hearing on the allegations that he had repeatedly raped several of his former followers, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Friday.
A copy of the document that Hontiveros shared with Senate reporters showed that the summon was received on Feb. 22 by a certain Marie Dinah Tolentino-Fuentes, a counsel for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), the Davao City-based religious sect that Quiboloy founded.
“I really urge Apollo Quiboloy to appear in the Senate to answer the serious allegations against him,” Hontiveros told reporters.
“As I have said, he should not claim to be a victim here. We’re just asking him to face the legal processes, including the Senate investigation,” she said.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian also advised the beleaguered KOJC founder and leader to respect Hontiveros’ authority as chair of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality.
He said the order for Quiboloy to attend the March 5 hearing did not mean that he was already guilty of the accusations leveled against him.
In fact, he said, the investigation was a venue for the televangelist to directly respond to the claims that he had sexually and physically abused many KOJC members, including several Ukrainian women.
“This applies to all, not just to Quiboloy. It’s important to respect our [legal] process, such as the Senate hearings. It’s an opportunity for him to clear his name,” Gatchalian said in a Zoom press briefing.
“The hearings were not just for his accusers, but also for him to reply to all the things he was being accused of,” he said.
According to Gatchalian, Quiboloy’s decision to run away and disregard the invitation to attend the Senate probe would only bolster the allegations against him.
“He should not hide because when a person goes into hiding, that’s a sign of guilt. So the best way is [for him] to respect the process and go to the Senate hearing,” he said.
On Wednesday, Quiboloy admitted that he opted to go into hiding as he had feared for his life due to an alleged plot by the US government to assassinate him.
Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God,” also accused President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta Marcos of conniving with the American authorities to kill him.
Aside from the subpoena issued by the Senate, the House of Representatives also summoned him to a hearing on March 12.