Quiboloy campaign video message has court approval, says lawyer
Kingdom of Jesus Christ leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy,
INQUIRER / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — The camp of detained televangelist and alleged rapist and qualified trafficker Apollo Quiboloy fought tooth and nail for the pastor to record a video message for his senatorial campaign rally kick-off, his legal counsel said.
This reaction came after Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) released a statement through human rights group Karapatan, questioning why Quiboloy was allowed by the court to record a video for the campaign.
“[t]he court order allowing Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to record his video message happened only after a tedious hearing that was conducted where the court heard our side and the vehement objections filed by the Prosecution,” Atty. Israelito Torreon said in a Viber message.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology prohibits the use of cameras or any recording device inside jail facilities except for duly-issued cameras or permission from the court.
Quiboloy, currently detained at the Pasig City Jail, is accused of human trafficking and child and sexual abuse. He was arrested at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ compound in Davao City after months of hiding.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Group of ex-detainees: Quiboloy campaign video shows VIP treatment
Article continues after this advertisementSELDA also noted that his video message shows “VIP treatment” and “double standards” applied on “powerful and influential people like Quiboloy.”
However, Torreon said that Quiboloy is still an “accused, hence, his guilt has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.”
Torreon added that the pastor “enjoys the presumption of innocence and his civil and political rights should still be intact under the law and protected under the 1987 Constitution.”
READ: Apollo Quiboloy, the disappointed ‘son of God’
The lawyer also took a swipe against Karapatan as the group “has not even been heard to complain against Congresswoman France Castro who was already convicted by the Regional Trial Court of Davao Del Norte of Child Abuse.”
He also said that the statement is “another politically slanted and biased attack” against Quiboloy.
