Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, March 11, expressed her support to Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is currently facing child abuse and human trafficking cases.
In a video message, Duterte branded the ongoing investigation towards Quiboloy as "trial by publicity," adding that he deserves to be given a fair trial in the right court.
"Ako po ay nakikiisa sa panawagan ng pagpapa-iral ng batas at katarungan sa hinaharap na isyu ni Pastor Apollo Quiboloy at ng Sonshine Media Network Inc.," the Vice President said.
"Sa mga ginagawang pagdinig ay tila pinatawan na ng guilty verdict si Pastor Quiboloy kahit na nakabatay lamang ang pagdinig na ito sa mga paratang ng mga testigo na nagkukubli ng kanilang katauhan at hindi mapatunayan ang kredibilidad," she continued.
Duterte’s remark comes after Senator Risa Hontiveros cited Quiboloy in contempt for skipping the hearings of her panel.
As the chair of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, Hontiveros has been conducting an inquiry into Quiboloy’s alleged crimes, such as rape and abuse.
Duterte also called the suspension of the operations of SMNI as an issue of media freedom.
SMNI is the media arm of the KOJC.
“Lagi po tayong manalangin para sa hustisya at katotohanan [Let's always pray for justice and truth]. Justice and the truth cannot be achieved in trial by publicity, but by a day in court,” she said.
In December 2023, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered a 30-day suspension of the operations of SMNI following a reported violation of the terms and conditions of its franchise.
In January, the NTC ordered SMNI to halt its operations pending final decision on its ongoing administrative case.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board also suspended two SMNI programs — "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" and “Laban Kasama ang Bayan" — in the same month.
