Apollo Quiboloy
MANILA, Philippines — Detained Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) founder and leader Apollo Quiboloy, who is seeking a Senate seat, is the subject of a petition seeking to disqualify and declare him a nuisance candidate.
Fellow senatorial aspirant and labor leader Sonny Matula on Wednesday filed the petition to cancel the certificate of nomination and acceptance (Cona) issued to Quiboloy as a nominee of the Workers and Peasants Party (WPP).
Quiboloy has been detained by the Philippine National Police since September over accusations of human trafficking and child abuse, which his camp vehemently denied.
“The Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (Cona) issued to respondent Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy must be canceled principally on the ground and he be disqualified from running as a senatorial candidate because of material misrepresentation,” the nine-page petition obtained by INQUIRER.net said
Quiboloy declared in his certificate of candidacy that he is running under WPP.
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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared two “wings” of the WPP: One led by Matula and the other one headed by Mark Tolentino.
Matula, however, said they were unaware of Quiboloy’s bid under WPP, while Tolentino said the KJC leader accepted their invitation to be a party member.
The petitioners, including Matula, admitted that “there is no specific provision in the Omnibus Election Code that explicitly mentions the use of an unauthorized Cona as a direct ground for disqualification.”
They, however, noted that there are specific provisions of the Omnibus Election Code as well as Comelec resolutions that cover false representation or fraudulent actions, which includes the use of what they deemed as unauthorized Cona of Quiboloy.
They also maintained that Quiboloy could be declared as a nuisance candidate since he “cannot campaign during his incarceration as he is facing several criminal charges in court.”
“He is exploiting the electoral process as a smokescreen to deflect attention from the serious criminal charges he faces,” the petitioners said.
Tolentino dismissed the points raised by Matula and other petitioners.
“What’s his legal basis? The people themselves will campaign for ACQ (Apollo Carreon Quiboloy). He is optimistic that he could get out and he wants to serve the country as a senator because he loves God and the Philippines,” Tolentino told INQUIRER.net in Filipino.
Tolentino also reiterated that there is no material representation on Quiboloy’s COC.
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He further noted that Matula’s petition is “moot” as Quiboloy is now included among the 66 senatorial aspirants in the initial list for the midterm poll ballots.
“Thus [Quiboloy is] very qualified,” he said.