Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa (File photo from Joseph B. Vidal/Senate Social Media Unit)
MANILA, Philippines — If Pastor Apollo Quiboloy decides to face the Senate, he can rely on Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa for protection.
Dela Rosa, who once headed the national police force, offered to secure Quiboloy on Wednesday, a day after the latter was ordered arrested and detained in the Senate.
“If he wants, I will be his security. Even if I’m just a one-man security team, I’ll intercept any threats to his life. I won’t allow anyone who poses a threat to his safety to get through,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino in an interview over AM station Radyo 630.
“I will volunteer to provide security for him if he decides to face the Senate — it will be better. At the end of the day, the decision is coming from him and him alone.”
Dela Rosa made the statements when asked for advice by Quiboloy, whom he considers his friend.
On Tuesday, the Senate released the arrest order against Quiboloy for his repeated failure to appear before the Committee on Women.
It was also ordered his detention in the chamber.
Led by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the committee has been investigating the alleged sexual assault, forced labor, exploitation, and other human rights violations being hurled at Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ church.
If he were to be asked, Dela Rosa said he would not want Quiboloy to go to jail because of underlying “circumstances surrounding” his case. The senator did not elaborate.
“I really don’t want to, but we can’t do anything about it because we can’t violate the rules of the Senate,” Dela Rosa said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri himself told the religious leader that he would be safe in the Senate and that his right against self-incrimination would be respected.
“All I can say is that, yesterday during the caucus, we discussed that if he comes here, we will give him the respect due any citizen of the country, and we will also respect his rights as an invited person,” Zubiri said in Filipino in an interview on Tuesday.