A CONFESSED member of the Angels of Death, a private army working for the televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, told the Senate Wednesday that the Davao-based religious leader ordered the killing of “apostate and sinful” members of his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
Quiboloy dismissed the testimony as “a fabrication.”
During a hearing by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on Wednesday, Eduard Ablaza Masayon admitted he was part of the 2nd Metro Davao Signal Battalion, which was under Sonshine Media Network Inc., the KoJC communications arm.
Its members are from the Philippine Army Affiliated Reserve Unit (PAARU) and the 11th Regional Community Defense Group, the Philippine Army’s reserve command, he said.
Masayon said this private army was formed to pursue members who opposed Quiboloy. Once you prove your loyalty to the kingdom, you will become a squad member, he said.
In one instance, Masayon said, he was with a member of the Angels of Death, Simon Tagnipis, in the KOJC security compound, who was ordered to kill one Domeng Jaruk, the datu of Sitio Kahusayan in Davao City because he refused to sell his land to Quiboloy.
Masayon said members of the Angels of Death would not kill without an order from above or from Quiboloy.
Quiboloy denied the allegation that he had a private army known as the Angels of Death, saying that Masayon’s statement was merely a fabrication.
However, when committee chairman Sen. Risa Hontiveros inquired about the connection between the so-called Angels of Death and the Davao Death Squad, he invoked his right against self-incrimination, stating that he had no personal knowledge of the matter.
After listening to a recording where a man scolds a woman and discusses the Angels of Death, Quiboloy said it sounded like his voice but said it needed to be authenticated because artificial intelligence is quite powerful today.
In the Senate hearing, Quiboloy also denied the allegations of abusing women members of his KOJC, some of whom were at the same hearing to confront him.
He challenged them to file charges against him in court.
Quiboloy on Wednesday attended, upon orders from the Pasig and Quezon City courts, the Senate inquiry on his alleged abuses against some KOJC members. Several of his alleged victims, mostly women, faced him personally and online during the public hearing.
Quiboloy faced off with six of his alleged victims, who were former members of KOJC, which he leads.
The witnesses who confronted Quiboloy during the inquiry were Teresita Valdehueza, Masayon, Jo-Ar Olimba, Jocelyn Mondejar, Dindo Maquiling, and Ukrainian Yulya Voronina.
Voronina and Valdehueza testified that Quiboloy had forced them to provide sexual services and threatened they would “go to hell” if they refused.
Olimba said Quiboloy once ordered him to resort to “self-torture,” such as banging his head on the wall until it bleeds as punishment for watching a movie and for having a girlfriend outside of KOJC.
“There’s no truth to what they said [against me]. If they have charges they are free to file charges. There is where I will face them,” Quiboloy said in Filipino.
The self-appointed “son of God” refused to answer the allegation that he sexually abused some of the women members of the KOJC, mostly belonging to the so-called inner pastoral.
He repeatedly invoked his right against self-incrimination.” In one instance, Quiboloy said, ” This is under investigation already. I invoke my right to remain silent.”
The pastor’s co-accused — Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada and Sylvia Cemanes — also attended the hearing. Just like Quiboloy, they also invoked their right against self-incrimination.
Quiboloy was escorted back to the Philippine National Police Custodial Center, where he was detained since September 8 while his co-accused were brought back to the Pasig City jail.
In a chance interview after the hearing, Quiboloy again said, “There is no truth to the allegations against me. They should prove these in court where I can defend myself.”
“This committee is not to decide whether I am guilty or not. It should be the court of law. This one is like a trial by publicity. We have no [invited] resource person coming from our side. All of them belong to the other camp,” he said.
“There was no mention of the human rights [violation of KoJC members]. The women and youth [members of KoJC] still experience trauma. They cower in fear whenever they see policemen. There was no mention of the 16-day siege [of the KoJC compound in Davao City]. So, this committee is not fair,” he added.
The pastor also said that the KoJC does not have a policy to send its members to ask for alms and sell items in the streets to sustain the group’s operation and his lifestyle. Quiboloy claimed that the KoJC has eight million members. But the Philippine National Police placed the KoJC “active” members to 8,000 nationwide and in 20 other countries.
Hontiveros adjourned the inquiry after conducting four public hearings on Quiboloy’s alleged wrongdoings against some of his followers.
“Now, we will ensure that our country’s laws and policies leave no room for Quiboloy’s inhumane and ungodly liturgies. It has been a pleasure chairing these hearings, but it will always be the honor of my team to provide a platform for victim-survivors of human trafficking and to shepherd laws that will protect them even more,” she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has not yet received any request from the United States government to extradite Quiboloy, who is wanted in the US for alleged sex trafficking.
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