EMBATTLED televangelist Apollo Quiboloy may challenge before the Supreme Court the arrest order issued by the Senate against him, according to one of his lawyers.
Pro-Quiboloy Senator Robinhood Padilla also said a petition before the Supreme Court could be a legal alternative for the beleaguered Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosed that the Davao City Prosecutor’s Office has initiated preliminary investigations against Quiboloy and some of his associates on charges of sexual and child abuse.
Senator Francis Escudero explained that the issuance of arrest order against Quiboloy was merely ministerial, adding that the KOJC leader could be discharged upon appearance at the Senate hearing, either personally or virtually.
For his part, Senator Ronald dela Rosa offered protection for Quiboloy who has claimed there was a death threat against him.
“The judiciary could interpret the constitutional limitations on the power of Congress to conduct investigations,” counsel Elvis Balayan said.
He said filing a motion over Quiboloy’s arrest “was part of the process allowed under existing
laws and that is a very big possibility that we will elevate the matter before the appropriate courts.”
“It could be before the Supreme Court,” Balayan said.
The lawyer added however, that it would be up to his client how to deal with the detention order issued by the Senate.
The Senate on Tuesday ordered the arrest and detention of the Quiboloy for his continued snub of the chamber’s hearings into alleged human trafficking and sexual abuse crimes, some of which have been filed before the courts.
Balayan said that while they respect the decision of the Senate to issue an arrest order, Quiboloy would “exert all available legal remedies to protect his constitutional rights.”
He scored the Senate Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros which he said was “acting like a court and had deemed the pastor guilty.”
“The pastor cannot be duped into appearing in a trial by publicity… The Senate is not the dispenser of justice in this country. Only the courts can declare the guilt or innocence of Pastor Quiboloy,” Balayan said.
But Hontiveros maintained that the proceedings were “not meant to determine Quiboloy’s guilt or innocence, but rather look at gaps in the laws.”
She assured Quiboloy’s camp that his constitutional rights will be respected should he physically attend the hearings, citing previous inquiries where high-profile personalities were invited to attend.
Balayan gave assurance that his client was still in the Philippines and willing to appear “in the proper forum” such as the courts.
Ferdinand Topacio, also a counsel of Quiboloy, called for restraint on premature comments about the case.
Topacio claimed however, that “some powerful individuals are hell-bent on persecuting Quiboloy.”
“We now place full reliance on the Judiciary as the final nation of the people’s rights, confident that the rights of an innocent man such as Pastor Quiboloy will be vindicated, and his good name finally cleared,” Topacio said.
“My office did everything it can under the rules and procedures of the Senate to protect the rights of Pastor Quiboloy. The chairman of the committee has already decided and the Senate President has already acted on the issuance of the arrest order. The only legal alternative that I see is for Pastor Quiboloy to appeal this at the Supreme Court,“ Padilla said in a text message to reporters.
On Tuesday, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri signed an arrest order against the Quiboloy for “unduly refusing to appear, despite due notices” at the hearings.