Senate Issues Arrest Order VS Pastor Apollo Quiboloy
PASTOR APOLLO QUIBOLOY – Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy’s arrest and detention at the Senate has been mandated due to his persistent refusal to participate in the chamber’s inquiry into his purported offenses.
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy has been instructed to be arrested and held in custody at the Senate due to his persistent refusal to cooperate with the chamber’s investigation into his alleged offenses. The order was issued by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, under the leadership of Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and was endorsed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday, March 19.
According to a statement released by Zubiri’s office, Quiboloy is to be detained by the Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms until he complies with the Committee’s requests to appear and testify, or until he resolves the contempt charges against him.
Based on a report from Inquirer, the document directs the Sergeant-At-Arms to execute the order promptly and report back within 24 hours of its enforcement. Zubiri clarified that his endorsement of the arrest order was a procedural requirement mandated by the Senate’s rules and regulations governing legislative inquiries.
“We are signing the order to protect our committee system, to preserve the Senate’s power of inquiry with process to enforce it,” he stressed.
“Should the witness appear during the next hearing and purge himself of contempt, there will be no need to order his arrest.”
Zubiri emphasized that the intention behind the arrest order was not punitive but rather aimed at ensuring the investigation’s effectiveness and compelling Quiboloy’s participation.
The Senate has been investigating Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ church over accusations of sexual abuse, human trafficking, forced labor, and other violations of human rights.
Before proceeding with the arrest and confinement of the religious leader, Hontiveros’ committee had issued a show-cause order to Quiboloy, allowing him the opportunity to justify why he should not be arrested despite repeatedly failing to attend the public hearings.
Zubiri reiterated that the matter concerning Quiboloy is under the jurisdiction of the committee. He stressed that it is the committee’s responsibility to assess the adequacy of Quiboloy’s response to the show-cause order, noting that Hontiveros had deemed Quiboloy’s explanation, conveyed through his legal representative, insufficient.
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