News Roundup 13 September 2024
Sep 13, 2024 • 5 min Read
More victims willing to testify vs Quiboloy – Hontiveros | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — More alleged victims of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy are willing to testify against him in the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros said on Friday.
“We will make Quiboloy and his co-accused appear before the Senate,” Hontiveros said in Filipino in a statement.
“More victims are willing to testify and fight for their humanity, their dignity, and the whole truth,” she added.
On Wednesday, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo also said they were gathering more testimonies and evidence after being approached by a new batch of victims, who revealed harrowing details of their abuse.
Fajardo said the victims—some as young as 12 to 13 years old— were allegedly assured by Quiboloy that they remained “pure” and “intact” because they had sex with “the spirit of God.”
Quiboloy also allegedly warned the victims that an “angel of death” would go after them if they would break the code of secrecy.
Full Story at: More victims willing to testify vs Quiboloy — Hontiveros (inquirer.net)
House quad com won’t take Roque’s tirades sitting down – Barbers | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives quad committee will not take former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s tirades against them lightly, Surigao del Norte 2nd Dist. Rep. Ace Barbers said in an online interview on Friday.
Roque earlier said in his Facebook post on Thursday that he would no longer attend “kangaroo hearings” of the House panel.
“When he was cornered and we asked for documents from him, that’s when he started saying a lot of things outside Congress, but when he was inside, he was very submissive… He volunteered to submit documents that we asked from him,” Barbers said in Filipino.
“Now, he’s invoking a lot of whatever he is saying. In his pronouncements on social media, he is making a lot of tirades against this quad com. We will not take it sitting down,” he added.
The panel, which is currently investigating the issues related to the Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos), on Thursday, cited Roque again for contempt and ordered his detention in the House of Representatives anew after he failed to comply with the lower chamber’s subpoena.
The former presidential spokesperson has been asked to submit the following:
- his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth from 2016 to 2022
- his income tax returns and those of his wife Maila from 2014 to 2022
- their medical certificates
- the extrajudicial settlement of his estate, including tax returns of his late aunt
- the deed of sale with tax returns and transfer of property of the 1.8-hectare property in Multinational Village, Parañaque, which his family sold
Further, Barbers said: “He [Roque] can say everything he wants to say, but the fact remains that this investigation, he’s very important. He’s really material to the the illegal Pogo under investigation. Why? Because there’s overwhelming circumstantial evidence that was established by the committee during the time he was in attendance.”
Full Story at: House quad com won’t take Roque’s tirades sitting down – Barbers (inquirer.net)
Alice Guo’s case transferred from Tarlac to Valenzuela City | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo’s case has been moved from Capas, Tarlac to Valenzuela City in Metro Manila, said Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino on Friday, September 13.
Tolentino had flagged that Guo’s case was improperly filed at a Capas court, which is in the same regional trial court (RTC) jurisdiction as Bamban. He noted that Guo, a former mayor, could have influence there. He argued that it should be filed in Valenzuela City, the closest RTC that is purportedly free from bias.
“I would like to thank the Regional Trial Court of RTC Capas Tarlac Branch 109 for transferring the case of Alice Guo to the RTC of Valenzuela City,” Tolentino said in an X post.
Guo was scheduled for arraignment in Tarlac on Friday afternoon, but this was canceled by the Capas court, which agreed with Tolentino’s position that they had no jurisdiction.
“Ang tamang RTC na dapat i-file yung kaso, para legal lahat, walang butas, ay ang RTC ng Valenzuela City sa Metro Manila.”
Full Story at: Alice Guo’s case transferred from Tarlac to Valenzuela City | Philstar.com
US extradition request for Quiboloy may be on its way — DOJ | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The United States may soon lodge a formal request for the Philippines to turn over wanted sex trafficker Apollo Quiboloy, a justice department official said on Friday, September 13.
Quiboloy, who recently surrendered after a two-week manhunt by authorities, is facing child abuse and human trafficking charges in the Philippines.
He is also facing sex trafficking and cash smuggling charges in the US and has been wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2021.
“As of now, we have not yet received an extradition request. However, Secretary [Jesus Crispin] Remulla is aware that an official request from the United States is on its way,” DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty said in mixed Filipino and English in a televised briefing.
Ty said any extradition request from the US would first be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs before it is forwarded to the Department of Justice.
The Philippine government will have to scrutinize if the case involves an offense covered by the country’s extradition treaty with the US. If it does, “a case will be filed at the Regional Trial Court, where it will be determined if Pastor Quiboloy should be extradited,” Ty said.
In March, a judge from the California Central District handling Quiboloy’s case unsealed the warrant of arrest against him and his co-accused. The move was regarded as a possible precursor to the US’ request to extradite the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder.
After dodging Philippine authorities for several months, Quiboloy was taken into custody on September 8. Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos first announced that the doomdsay preacher was “arrested” but later clarified that he surrendered to military intelligence agents after being cornered.
Arrest warrants for Quiboloy from Davao and Pasig courts were issued all the way back in April.
Quiboloy counts among his allies former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, both of whom have repeatedly condemned authorities’ attempts to arrest him. The former president has taken over Quiboloy’s assets after a freeze order on the KOJC founder’s bank accounts.
Full Story at: US extradition request for Quiboloy may be on its way — DOJ | Philstar.com
