THE Senate committee on women and children has issued a subpoena against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy amid its ongoing investigation on the alleged crimes committed within the religious group.
During the resumption of the Senate investigation on Monday, February 19, 2024, committee chairperson Senator Risa Hontiveros said Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri already signed the subpoena against Quiboloy.
Hontiveros said the subpoena was issued to compel Quiboloy to attend the probe and answer the allegations against him by several former KJC members who shared before the committee their ordeal within the organization.
During the first hearing, Hontiveros presented five former members of KJC who experienced almost the same abuse allegedly by Quiboloy.
Three of them told the committee that they were sexually abused by Quiboloy even if they were still minors at that time.
In a statement earlier, Quiboloy maintained he will not submit himself to the inquiry being conducted by the Senate as he will only face the accusations against him in a court of law.
Quiboloy urged the Senate to help those accusing him to file and win the case against him.
On February 7, the House committee on legislative franchises also 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.
In November, the committee launched an investigation against SMNI after two of its program hosts claimed that House Speaker Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion in just a year for his foreign trips.
SMNI was accused of involvement in the proliferation of fake news, as well as red tagging. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)