Senator Risa Hontiveros answers queries from media members during the Kapihan sa Senado forum at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — In commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD), Senator Risa Hontiveros said that justice must be served for the women victim-survivors of alleged rapist Apollo Quiboloy.
“Our women witnesses have had to overcome overwhelming feelings of shame and fear in order to speak their truth, to get justice, and to find peace. Ngayong ipinagdiriwang natin ang araw ng kababaihan, sana matiyak natin ang hustisya para sa bawat babaeng paulit-ulit na inabuso ng taong [tiningala] nila,” said Hontiveros in a statement on Friday.
(Now that we commemorate Women’s Day, I hope we can ensure justice for every woman who was repetitively abused by the person they looked up to.)
Hontiveros, chairperson of the Senate panel on women, is currently leading the investigation of Quiboloy’s alleged crimes.
During the previous Senate inquiries, former women members of Quiboloy’s organization, Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC), alleged that they were coerced to sleep with Quiboloy as a “sign of devotion.”
The members were identified as “pastorals” or “women who occupy a prestigious position” in KJC as they were assigned to perform “personal tasks” for its leader.
“I also have to stress that these abuses are ongoing. Maraming mga pastoral pa ang nasa loob ng Kingdom na patuloy na inaabuso diumano ni Quiboloy,” Hontiveros said.
(There are a lot of pastorals in the Kingdom allegedly still being abused by Quiboloy.)
The senator added that there are also foreign women who were allegedly abused by Quiboloy and initially promised a peaceful life in Davao.
“We’ve heard the stories of at least three Ukrainian women who left everything in Ukraine only to be exploited by the Pastor. They were effectively used as sex slaves,” she lamented.
This prompted Hontiveros to call on the public to listen to all the victim-survivors.
“This IWD, I call on all of us to listen to these women and girls. Let us not waste their courage. Hindi madali ang ginawa nilang pagbahagi ng mga mapapait na karanasan alang-alang sa hustisya. Let us show them that justice in this country can work for the most vulnerable,” Hontiveros said.
(It was not easy for them to share such troubling experiences for the sake of justice.)
The Department of Justice has recently directed the filing of trafficking and child abuse charges against Quiboloy after a review of a complaint by a 17-year-old girl in 2019.
He was also indicted by a court in the United States in 2021 over “heinous crimes committed in America,” including the systematic rape of women and minors.
Hontiveros ended her statement with an appreciation to the women victim-survivors, saying that she is hopeful for the support of the Senate and the rest of the country.
“To the victim-survivors, your strength and resolve remind us of the women before us who fought for our dignity, our freedom, and our rights. Your grace amid this chaos inspires us to stand with you, tall and undeterred. Umaasa ako na titindig hindi lang ang Senado, kundi ang buong bansa, kasama ninyo,” she concluded.
(I am hopeful that the Senate will stand its ground with you and the whole country.) — Barbara Gutierrez, intern