House summons Quiboloy  

MANILA, Philippines — The House legislative franchises committee has greenlighted the issuance of a subpoena against controversial preacher Apollo Quiboloy to compel him to appear before lawmakers and answer their questions about SMNI, the television network founded by the church under Quiboloy's leadership.

During the committee’s hearing on Wednesday on the contents of SMNI’s broadcasts, Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) asked to summon Quiboloy to the House, noting that his continued absence in hearings keeps him from directly addressing concerns about SMNI, including his actual role in the organization.

Mark Tolentino, counsel for SMNI, insisted that Quiboloy is not “part of the day-to-day operations of SMNI” and serves only as honorary chairperson.

Based on available archives of SMNI's website in Wayback Machine, the "about" section of the television network last included the name of Quiboloy in May 2023. Specifically, it mentioned that SMNI "is the broadcasting arm of a Philippine television evangelist, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy."

By July 2023, the "about" page of SMNI's website no longer mentioned Quiboloy. The website is currently unavailable.

“It’s about time we ask him to be present here and face our questions directly, because these cannot be answered by a mere lawyer,” Brosas said.

Rep. Johnny Pimentel (Surigao Del Sur, 2nd District) motioned for the issuance of a subpoena, to which no lawmaker objected. House legislative franchises committee chairperson Rep. Gus Tambunting (Parañaque City) approved the motion.

Pimentel told Tolentino that if Quiboloy refused to show up, the committee would be “constrained to request for a warrant of arrest” or cite him in contempt.

The House panel is currently reviewing a resolution that seeks to revoke SMNI’s franchise as well as allegations that SMNI broadcasts have contained dis- or misinformation. 

Quiboloy, who was indicted by a California court in 2021 for allegedly conspiring to engage in sex trafficking, has an active arrest warrant in the US issued Nov. 10, 2021, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's website.

The US Department of Treasury in 2022 blocked Quiboloy's assets over what it described as "serious human rights abuses" committed by the preacher.

SMNI came under fire from House lawmakers after its anchors, Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy, accused House Speaker Martin Romualdez of having exorbitant travel funds during their "Laban Kasama ang Bayan" show in November.

In January, the Senate committee on women, family relations and gender equality issued a subpoena against the controversial preacher after failing to show up to committee hearings about the alleged sexual trafficking and abuse of minors committed by the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.