PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to take advantage of the congressional hearings in order for him to address issues and allegations being thrown against him.
In an interview with reporters before his departure for Australia, Marcos told Quiboloy that it is already his chance to “say his side of the story.”
(He has an opportunity both in the House and Senate hearings to tell his side of the story. If he says that all is not true, then he should say that. If he won’t show up, what will happen, he will be put in contempt, which is a bigger problem. If he can come and answer all the questions, then it would be over.)
“That is my advice for him, just face the questioning in the House and in the Senate para marinig natin ang kanyang side para malaman natin ano ba talaga ang nangyayari dito (so we will know what really happened). We are trying to be fair here and allowing him the opportunity… I think he should take advantage of it,” he added.
The House committee on legislative franchises earlier issued a subpoena against Quiboloy amid its ongoing investigation against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), which is owned by Swara Sug Media Corporation, the broadcasting arm of KJC.
SMNI was accused of involvement in the proliferation of fake news after two of its program hosts claimed that House Speaker Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion in just a year for his foreign trips.
Romualdez denied the claims while one of the hosts admitted that such information was unverified.
The Senate also issued a subpoena against Quiboloy on February 19 after he repeatedly refused to heed the committee’s call for him to face its ongoing investigation on the alleged crimes committed within the KJC.
Several former members of KJC faced the ongoing Senate probe where they narrated their ordeal at the hands of Quiboloy and other high-ranking officials of the organization.
The complainants include several women who claimed to have been sexually abused by the religious group leader.
Earlier, Quiboloy maintained that he will not submit himself to the inquiry being conducted by the Senate or the House of Representatives, as he will only face the accusations against him in a court of law. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)