Senate wants Quiboloy to attend October 23 hearing

MANILA, Philippines —  The Senate will resume its investigation on Apollo Quiboloy on Oct. 23, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said yesterday, adding that she looks forward to having the victims face their accused sex offender.

According to Hontiveros, the investigation would resume seven months after the last hearing, now with Quiboloy under custody for child sexual abuse and human trafficking.

“The victim-survivors will have a chance to confront their former leader and seek justice,” Hontiveros said in a press briefing yesterday.

The Senate women and children committee, which the senator chairs, will write to the Pasig regional trial court to compel Quiboloy to attend the Senate hearings, which he had snubbed when he went into hiding.

“We are ready for him to face the committee even if he refuses to answer our questions. The victim-survivors are more than ready to confront their abuser,” Hontiveros said.

The victims had earlier testified before the Senate that they were sexually abused by the church leader and forced to raise money for him under the guise of religious fervor.

Hontiveros also lauded the decision of Marissa Duenas, a Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) official in California, to enter into a plea deal to reduce her sentence for a marriage fraud conspiracy in the US.

“The plea deal by Marissa Duenas – a reported long-trusted administrator of the KOJC – with US authorities is a significant step towards securing accountability for Quiboloy’s disturbingly long list of crimes here and abroad, which includes sexual abuse of minors, qualified human trafficking, child abuse and others,” Hontiveros said.

She urged Duenas to testify against Quiboloy’s alleged crimes in the US, where he is included in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list.

“I also hope that Ms. Duenas, given her position in KOJC, would be open to participating in our continuing investigation on the various allegations of abuses and criminal acts by Quiboloy,” Hontiveros said.

“I urge the Department of Justice to extend all necessary legal assistance to any co-accused or any other person willing to cooperate towards attaining justice for the many women, child and other victims of Quiboloy’s crimes throughout the years,” she added.