Barking at the wrong tree

I spent my afternoon last Monday, a National Heroes’ Day, listening to the long playing records of Jack Jones and Tom Jones while scrolling my cellphone hoping to see funny FB posts. What a pleasant afternoon! By the way Jack is the American singer John Allan Jones while Tom is a Welshman knighted by Queen Elizabeth as Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Sir Thomas Jones Woodward.

Among the not-so-funny things I saw on my cellphone that afternoon was a police activity in Davao City while on my turntable an LP of Tom Jones was playing the song It’s Not Unusual. Believe me, both incidents were absolutely coincidental and if only you know the first lines of the lyrics of that Tom Jones’ song – “It's not unusual to be loved by anyone. It's not unusual to have fun with anyone” - a smirk would show on your face as a smile lit in mine then. It was perhaps, not unusual for Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to be loved by his hundreds of cultists as it was unusual for the Philippine National Police to assemble more than two thousand policemen just to implement a warrant of arrest.

What made me smile even more was a subsequent FB post of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. No matter how anyone would take her statement, the second highest official of the republic clearly spewed words of a wronged person. On Sunday, the vice president reportedly sought forgiveness from members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) for “persuading and appealing” (to) them to vote for Ferdinand R Marcos Jr., as president in the 2022 elections. Her ire was directed against the president.

In my desire to understand the rather unusual assemblage of numerous police personnel to serve warrants of arrest, I searched the internet. I found a previous Philippine Star reportage detailing the cases faced by Pastor Apollo “the anointed son of god” Quiboloy. Let me cite the more relevant ones:

1. The Department of Justice. The offenses against Quiboloy were

(a) Sexual abuse of a minor and (b) Qualified human trafficking filed by a former member of KOJC, who accused him of rape in 2014. But, in June 2020, the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges. A petition for review was filed and the Department of Justice reversed the dismissal and ordered the filing of case for violation of Republic Act 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law) and another case of qualified human trafficking, a non-bailable offense. Accordingly, Quiboloy now faces cases in the Regional Trial Courts in Davao City and in Pasig City, which issued warrants for his arrest.

2. House of Representatives. In December 2023, House Bill No 9710, was filed in Congress aimed to revoke the franchise granted to Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI). Quiboloy, being the owner of SMNI, was sent multiple invitations for the House committee hearings which he failed to attend. The said committee hearings were conducted on Dec. 5 to 11, 2023, and Feb. 7, 2024. On March 12, the House committee on legislative franchises cited Quiboloy in contempt and ordered him arrested.

3. Senate of the Philippines. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, etc., filed Resolution 884 on Dec. 11, 2023 to examine reported "large-scale human trafficking, rape, sexual abuse, violence, and child abuse" within the KOJC, Quiboloy’s church.

Several hearings were conducted to probe such alleged abuses. During the first session, five former KOJC members provided lurid detailed testimonies. But, Quiboloy refused to appear in any Senate inquiry, prompting Sen. Hontiveros, to cite him in contempt. On March 19, 2024, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri signed the warrant of arrest against Quiboloy.

4. There were cases filed in US courts against Quiboloy allegedly for (a) Conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking; (b) Sex trafficking of children; (c) Sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; (d) Conspiracy; and (e) Bulk cash smuggling. On Nov. 10, 2021, a federal warrant for Quiboloy's arrest was issued.

In summary, at least 4 institutions, not President Marcos Jr., issued warrants for Quiboloy’s arrest. And former Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin, now the president’s executive secretary said: Quiboloy is answerable to the law, xx the law must take its course. There’s a process.” That being the case, why is the vice president training her firepower against the president for the policemen’s move to arrest Quiboloy?