No longer invincible

If Apollo Quiboloy had not gotten the goat of the House of Representatives, the Senate and presumably the Marcos 2.0 administration, would he be on the run now, among the nation’s most wanted as an accused sex offender and human trafficker?

Quiboloy’s fate is another illustration of the weakness of the rule of law and the capricious nature of Philippine justice.

In February 2022, after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation released its most wanted poster featuring Quiboloy, the pastor of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), The Name Above Every Name Inc., was often seen in public with then president Rodrigo Duterte.

Nothing legally wrong with that; to this day, the US government has not sought the extradition of Quiboloy in connection with the charges for which he is wanted by the FBI. (The US reportedly wants Quiboloy to finish his legal issues first in the Philippines.) But being part of the close circle of the Philippine president at the time gave the pastor an air of being untouchable.

Quiboloy must be so close to Duterte that the former president has offered to serve as administrator of the KOJC estate in case the pastor is unable to perform this role.

As we are seeing in the Senate, Quiboloy has many other friends in high places, who can save him from what he probably considers as the humiliation of being publicly grilled by lawmakers.

Like other leaders of the religious right, Quiboloy has unabashedly used his ministry (and his Sonshine Media Network International, according to those miffed by SMNI) to wield political influence. He supports candidates during elections and reportedly lends his private aircraft to politicians in need. It’s the kind of support that earns strong loyalty in our society where gratitude carries a lot of weight.

Quiboloy enjoyed formidable clout in the previous administration, when he was perceived to be openly thumbing his nose at the FBI while canoodling with his BFF Duterte.

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Today, the pastor has lost his invincibility.

Quiboloy still has loyal, influential friends, who won’t do anything that will harm him, but he has even more influential enemies. He is no longer untouchable.

As of last night, the pastor remained in hiding somewhere in his “prayer mountain” in Davao while five of his aides had either surrendered or were arrested and then freed after posting bail of P80,000 each. That’s peanuts for a man who tools around in his own jet, but another arrest warrant for him may not allow bail: the one issued by the Senate for contempt. Quiboloy’s lawyers are said to be negotiating with Senate representatives (or else preparing a legal challenge) to prevent his arrest and detention at the Senate.

Congressmen, who have revoked SMNI’s franchise, say the network has been used by Rodrigo Duterte and his minions to lambast the Marcos 2.0 administration and insult the House, starting with its leader who is seen as the likely rival of Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2028 presidential race.

Being closely identified with the Dutertes, who are openly calling for the replacement of President Marcos, there is nothing now that should stop prosecutors from finally bringing Quiboloy and his alleged cohorts to justice.

The indictments against Quiboloy in the Philippines are serious: human and child sex trafficking. The charges in the US are worse.

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To refresh your memory, here’s what’s on the FBI most wanted document: Apollo Carreon Quiboloy… is wanted for his alleged participation in a labor trafficking scheme that brought church members to the United States, via fraudulently obtained visas, and forced the members to solicit donations for a bogus charity, donations that actually were used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders. Members who proved successful at soliciting for the church allegedly were forced to enter into sham marriages or obtain fraudulent student visas to continue soliciting in the United States year-round.

Furthermore, it is alleged that females were recruited to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” for Quiboloy and that victims prepared his meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called “night duty.”

Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Santa Ana, California, for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; conspiracy; and bulk cash smuggling, and on November 10, 2021, a federal warrant was issued for his arrest.

Such serious charges aren’t hurled lightly in the US.

Instead of shunning the accused offender, Philippine politicians are invoking innocence until proven guilty, friendship and the virtue prized in this country of walang iwanan.

If Quiboloy and his allies the Dutertes had not locked horns with the Marcos administration, the pastor would have continued enjoying the walang iwanan protection.

In advanced economies, the bar for exemplary behavior is set high for those with a high station in life. No one is above the law – not presidents, entertainment superstars, royalty, business moguls or religious leaders.

In the Philippines, justice is applied on the wealthy and powerful only when the person picks the wrong political allies.

The arm of the law must have a long reach, regardless of political affiliations. But this is the ideal, not the reality in our weak republic.