Former President Rodrigo Duterte —Malacañang file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers at the House of Representatives on Monday expressed suspicion that former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte may have had knowledge of the whereabouts of fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy while the police were looking for him, as they called for an investigation into that matter.
Meanwhile, the former President has filed charges of malicious mischief against Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil and other police officials over their operation since Aug. 24 to locate Quiboloy at his sprawling Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) compound in Davao City.
READ: Apollo Quiboloy in gov’t custody after long hunt
Quiboloy, who has been charged here and in the United States with sex crimes, trafficking, and other alleged offenses, surfaced in the government’s custody on Sunday after a two-week standoff with police at his KJC property.
Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chair of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said former President Duterte “cannot simply distance himself from [his client’s] troubling situation” after Quiboloy named him administrator of his sect’s properties early this year.
Quiboloy appointed Duterte on March 8, a day after a California judge unsealed the arrest warrants against the preacher over trafficking charges.
VP’s remarks
With Duterte’s appointment, “even just touching the gates [of the KJC compound and Quiboloy’s other properties], or picking leaves and flowers, needs permission from him,” Marlon Rosete, president of Quiboloy’s broadcasting arm Sonshine Media Network International, said in a text message back in March.
Yet on Aug. 6, the Court of Appeals granted a petition by the Anti-Money Laundering Council just the previous day to freeze the pastor’s bank accounts, real estate properties including the KJC compound, and other assets, after it found merit in the sexual exploitation, human trafficking and financial smuggling cases filed against him.
“[Duterte’s] role within the KJC compound places him at the center of this unfolding scandal, and the public deserves clear answers about his involvement,” Chua said in a statement.
He also cited the Vice President’s earlier statements expressing doubt that Quiboloy was still in Davao City.
Chua said her remarks in an interview with reporters on Sept. 1 “now appear… to be misleading, if not intentionally deceptive.”
The younger Duterte told the media that Sunday afternoon, already a week into the standoff, that “Personally I think he (Quiboloy) is no longer in Davao City,” adding that “it had been a long enough time for him to be able to leave Davao City.” The Vice President that evening joined a rally at the KJC compound by Quiboloy’s followers.
“Her assurances that Quiboloy was no longer within the compound call into question her credibility and suggest an attempt to shield the preacher from justice,” Chua said.
“The father-and-daughter duo’s direct connection to the KOJC compound makes it difficult to believe that they were unaware of Quiboloy’s whereabouts,” he added.
Chua urged authorities to investigate the Dutertes’ ties with the televangelist.
“If the Duterte family played any role in protecting or enabling Quiboloy during his time as a fugitive, they must be held accountable, just like any other citizen,” he said.
Assistant Majority Leader Raul Angelo Bongalon said: “Being the administrator of Pastor Quiboloy’s estate, specifically the KJC in Davao City, where the evangelist was arrested, makes him (former President Duterte) liable under the law—at the very least for harboring a fugitive.”
‘Part of the game’
Meanwhile, the former President on Monday filed two counts of malicious mischief against Abalos and the PNP officials before a Davao City court.
Abalos, who served as chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority during the Duterte administration, said the filing of charges against them goes with their job.
“This is what I can say about it: the lesson here is trust. I [trusted] our policemen, I supported them. And number two, if you know that it is the right thing to do, do not give up,” he said.
“It’s part of our work… It is only natural that as a government official, you have to have the stomach [for] these instances. It’s part of the game,” he added.
Asked about the possibility of the Dutertes being involved in hiding Quiboloy, Abalos said he would leave that matter to the police investigation.
“I never specified any names on who should be charged, but undoubtedly, someone harbored, someone obstructed, I am sure of those things. Whoever they are, it’s up to the police to determine,” the interior chief said. —with reports from Dempsey Reyes and Inquirer Research