Rep. Castro calls out Quiboloy for ‘thumbing nose’ at gov’t

Apollo Quiboloy and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro

MANILA, Philippines — The government must show it is equitably applying the law by not giving in to the demands being set by preacher Apollo Quiboloy before he surfaces to face the charges lodged against him, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said on Sunday.

“Quiboloy is thumbing his nose at the Marcos administration and if it accedes to his demands, then it would be the laughingstock of the international community for having a justice system that can be bullied,” Castro said.

Castro made the statement after Quiboloy, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader who is facing arrest for charges of child abuse, had set conditions for his surrender.

Quiboloy is facing arrest after a Davao City court issued warrants on April 1, alongside five of his followers for alleged violation of Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

In his 30-minute video posted online, Quiboloy considered the bailable offense filed against him at the Davao court as “patibong” (a snare) to get him to come out so that he could face the nonbailable offense awaiting him at the Pasig court or the extradition awaiting him to the United States.

Quiboloy, considered a fugitive by American law enforcers, is facing sex trafficking and money laundering charges in the United States.

“I am not in hiding, I can deal with these cases if they had not become complicated,” Quiboloy said. “It’s a snare. My case in Davao City is bailable so that I would come out to post bail, only to be made to face the nonbailable offense waiting for me in Pasig. The endgame is just the same, I would still end up [in their planned] extraordinary rendition.”

He accused President Marcos of having already made a deal with US authorities to hand him over to the US government, which he also accused of no longer being interested in pursuing “legal means” to resolve his case there but would want to hasten its resolution through “extraordinary rendition.” Quiboloy claims this would be carried out either through kidnapping or assassination.

‘Written guarantees’

In the same voice message issued through the radio station’s YouTube channel, Quiboloy supposedly wants Philippine authorities to issue “written guarantees” that they would not allow the US government, its Central Intelligence Agency, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation to “interfere” in his cases.

Quiboloy wants these written guarantees from Marcos, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, the Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, and National Bureau of Investigation Director Medardo de Lemos.

READ: Solon to Quiboloy: Don’t make demands; just surrender and face raps

“If you fail to give in written form these conditions from the Office of the President, Office of the Secretary of Justice, PNP, NBI, and CIDG, you will never see my face,” Quiboloy said.

‘Feeling privileged’

Castro blasted Quiboloy for setting demands instead of submitting to the jurisdiction of the courts.

“He really feels privileged this whole time,” she said.

Instead of making demands, Quiboloy should just show himself up and face his accusers if he believes in his innocence, Castro pointed out.

“Quiboloy should just face the charges against him here and in the US to prove if he is indeed innocent. He should also attend the hearings in Congress and the Senate instead of just being a fugitive,” she said.

By hiding, Quiboloy is only bolstering arguments pointing to his guilt, as Castro emphasized.

The same sentiment was expressed on Sunday by the NBI in Davao City, the home base of Quiboloy.

On the fourth day of the manhunt against Quiboloy, NBI regional director Archie Albao said the conditions laid down by the fugitive pastor for his surrender were beyond the power of law enforcement authorities to execute and were up for the President and top officials to decide.

“It’s very difficult because it is beyond our power to decide,” Albao told the Inquirer by phone, adding that the NBI’s primary duty is to serve the warrants issued by the court.

Both the NBI and the PNP in Davao City have organized their tracking teams to hunt down the pastor but as of Sunday, which was the fourth day since their receipt of the arrest warrant, the pastor continued to elude arrest.

Albao, however, said their talks with the pastor’s lawyers to convince him to surrender were ongoing.

—WITH A REPORT FROM GERMELINA LACORTE