Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 12)— Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday urged the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue an immigration lookout order against Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, following a resolution she filed seeking to probe the alleged sexual abuse and human trafficking on members of the church leader’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
\”I urge the Department of Justice to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order, which they can do motu proprio to prevent Quiboloy from leaving the country, he must not escape accountability. Our children’s lives are at stake,\” Hontiveros said in a press conference on Tuesday.
The DOJ said in a separate statement Tuesday that they have yet to receive the formal request from Hontiveros. The senator’s office said they will issue a formal request soon.
The DOJ also said they will be releasing a copy of the official pending cases of Quiboloy.
Hontiveros earlier said Quiboloy and his co-accused have pending charges of rape, child abuse, and trafficking filed last December 2019 in the US.
The senator expressed optimism that the resolution and the lookout bulletin requests will be granted by the authorized agencies. She added that Quiboloy’s alleged crimes have reached global concerns, following the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s issuance of ‘wanted’ posters of Quiboloy.
She said after her privilege speech on Monday, everyone in the Senate listened and some expressed dismay in the alleged crimes of Quiboloy and the illegal activities happening secretly in the KOJC.
In response, Quiboloy’s Legal Counsel, Attorney Ferdinand Topacio, challenged Hontiveros on Tuesday to bring her allegations to court instead of the Senate.
\”Ngayon, siya po ay aking hinahamon, kung makatunayan ang sinasabi nila, bakit hindi mo dalhin sa hukuman, patas ang laban, may due process. Bakit gusto sa Senado ang paglilitis? Sa pagkat sa Senado, lamang na lamang ka, agrabyado kami,\” Topacio said.
[Translation: Now, I am challenging [Hontiveros] to bring their allegations to court, where our fight will be fair and there will be due process. Why do you like to bring it to the Senate proceedings? Because in the Senate, you’re in a more advantageous position than us.]
Topacio said he does not confirm nor deny the claims, however, he stressed that it is the court which should decide. He also noted that Quiboloy already had a case in America, which has not yet been decided.
Topacio claimed that Hontiveros is not a credible person when it comes to presenting testifiers or testimonies, adding that Hontiveros’ resolution is part of her “harassment” of Quiboloy, KOJC, and Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI).
Meanwhile, despite talks about Quiboloy’s “strong connections” to some powerful politicians, Hontiveros said this would not hinder them from seeking justice for the victim-survivors.
Hontiveros said her office is still preparing the affidavits and documents needed for the victim-survivors to speak during a hearing.
READ:
Hontiveros seeks probe on alleged human trafficking, sexual abuse in Quiboloy’s church
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Victims-Survivors testimonies
The victims who will be testifying this year or in the first quarter of next year comprise alleged cases of KOJC victims from a few years ago until recent years, the lawmaker said.
She did not give the exact number of victim-survivors who will testify, but in the video presented during the presscon, victims using aliases Jackson and Arlene narrated their experiences.
Jackson, who was forced to solicit money in the streets, said they were beaten when they did not reach the quota of money to be collected.
He said that back in 2014, thousands of males, including himself, and females were beaten with a paddle, and that the girls almost crawled out after their ordeal.
\”Nakadapa ka talaga. Alam mo ‘yung parang paddle na pinapakita dun sa mga hazing. Maliit lang dun nang kaunti tapos makapal lang dun nang kaunti. Ganon ang pinapalo sa amin,\” he added.
[Translation: We were prostrate on the floor. You know the paddle they used for hazing. It’s smaller than that but a little bit thicker. That’s what they used to beat us.]
Meanwhile, Hontiveros said that Quiboloy’s church recruits encourages whole families to join, which she said is a dangerous scheme, \”Magiging bahagi kayo ng isang komunidad na mag-aalaga sa isa’t-isa, kalaunan pala iba ‘yung motibo.\”
[Translation: You’ll be a part of a community where you will protect each other then eventually the motive will be revealed to be the opposite.]
Hontiveros said Arlene and her sister were victims of human trafficking. She said they were instructed to pretend to be blind, deaf, or posed as students to beg for money and sell steamed cakes also known as ‘Puto and Kutsinta’.
\”Marami sa kanila balot pa rin sa takot na iha-haraass sila, na gugulpihin sila, na papatayin sila,\” Hontiveros said.
[Translation: Many of them are still haunted by the thought that they will be harassed, abused, and killed.]
\”These are very real fears that they are living with, but I hope through the filed resolution and eventual investigation, they will be empowered to tell their truth and seek justice,\” she said.
The Senator reminded the KOJC goers to respect the stories of the victims, saying that the survivors’ dignity and rights are at stake.
