It’s mostly a challenge to women, to men not so much.
Sen. Riza Hontiveros may have found her new challenge perfectly cut out for her as the Senate chair of the committee on women, children,family relation and gender quality. Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed son of God, must be good at the game of hide -and -seek in the face of a Senate hearing on his alleged crime against women, among other alleged “sins”, he has so far succeeded in evading or snubbing, if you like.
And wrath has no fury like a woman scorned, especially when it’s her special time, the international women’s month. After the reverend snubbed the subpoena for him to attend the hearing, Sen. Riza Hontiveros decided to force the issue. He should be arrested, she asked the Senate president, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri . He did, after a little dilly-dallying ,which is understandable given the subject of a politically- loaded decision. Quiboloy is a known ally of former President Duterte.
Once in the distant past, a prophet namedElijah went into hiding after Jesebel , the wife of the king, threaten to kill him for making mincemeat of her false prophets in a show of who is for real. Quiboloy may feel that he is under persecution, even for his political alliance not just religious conviction. He is not inclined to take it sitting down. He can also hide in the hills of Davao.
In mythology, Apollo was no simple god. He could do a lot of things and truth and prophecy were part of his strong suit. The Davao prophet said, for instance, that women were just running after him, literally and figuratively speaking, because he ditched them for their selfish motive because he was wealthy and was the most eligible bachelor in town. It sounds believable given who owns the most beautiful place in the city in the south and is still single.
There is more to his enviable, if not fearsome, power. It can be recalled that he claimed to have caused the shutdown of ABS- CBN and subsequently a network popular noontime show and some traffic at EDSA on mere say so. His famous political ally did not confirm the claim but must be glad it happened because it could have nearly cost him the presidency because of a botched political advertisement.
Who says revenge is best served cold? Not in politics or religion , it seems.
In Shakespeare’s “Julius Ceasar”, Mark Antonyy, the famous Roman general and Caesar’s ally, delivered a speech on his funeral. Telling the Romans, Antony said he came to bury Cesar not to praise him , but plaintively confessed his heart was in Caesar’s coffin.
Antony was a man who loved honor as well as power, according to the historian Plutarch. He knew upon whom he paid such due. After all, he fought many wars with the emperor , so whereof he knew when he spoke, not just from his perspective as one who received his favor.
In the Philippine Senate. four senators have come to Quiboloy’s rescue. They argue that it has to be resolved by the judiciary where it properly belongs and not in the Senate where only some politicians will only try to draw blood from Quiboloy and cut his flesh in public. It’s not fair..
At least , two of the senators have declared their non-belief in the pastor’s alleged crimes. He doesn’t look like he’s the one capable of doing what he he’s accused of, according to Sen. Ronald Bato. Sen. Cynthia villar believes the pastor, is a respectable and honorable religious leader.
In other words , it’s case where perceived virtues trump over alleged vices.
But another senator, Sen. JV Ejercito, had earlier decided to join the other four in asking other senators to invalidate the arrest order – the magic number is eight– but clammed up after hearing the testimonies of the alleged victims. The battle of perception versus reality is on in the house of the Elders.
President Bongbong Marcos has laughed off Quiboloy’s charge that the former is in cahoots with the US government to have him arrested, even assassinated. He advised him instead to take the opportunity to clear the air during the Senate hearing. Vice President Sara Duterte thinks otherwise; she believes it’s nothing short of a trial by publicity.
While in hiding, Quiboloy has entrusted the properties of his spiritual kingdom to Duterte as the administrator, including his televisioN network which has been suspended for alleged violations. They must have a mutual defense pact, much like the Philippines has with the US in case of attack. Better be safe than be sorry..
There is an extradition treaty between the Philippines and the US which can be invoked if certain criminal offenses require that the subject criminal suspects be delivered by either government. Quiboloy is a wanted man by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for various crimes such as human trafficking, sexual trafficking, coercion and cash smuggling. But there is no invocation of the extradition yet or request accordingly, per the Department of Justice.
But Quiboloy is a smart man. The Senate hearing can be a ploy to entrap him and make is easier for the FBI to catch him. Besides, four senators are giving the cryptic encouragement not to appear at all as they oppose the arrest order. But mythical the Apollo is known to read signs perfectly,apart from prophesying. He may subscribe to the the biblical saying that that the truth will set you free, the essence of PBBM’s advice to Quiboloy to face the music, but the Senate committee’s partiality is put in doubt by some of its own members.
Hontiveros may have to dig in deeper into her bag of strategies to force Quiboloy to show up and take the high road that his allies say he truly deserves as a religious leader of his stature. Maybe a prayer will do.
