Marcos assures Quiboloy of fair proceedings in sexual abuse case

President Marcos has assured embattled televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy that all the proceedings related to this case will be fair despite the latter's attempt to control the situation by making demands.

Marcos said this after Quiboloy demanded a guarantee from the government that it would not let the US meddle in his legal affairs in exchange for his surrender to face his sexual abuse charges.

In an interview with reporters in Bacolod on Monday, April 8, the President said the controversial religious leader could be adopting a strategy referred to as "tail wagging the dog," an expression which the Webster website defined as "something important or powerful being controlled by something less so."

"It seems to me a little bit tail wagging the dog, ang tawag (is what it's called)," he said.

"Siya magbibigay ng kondisyon sa gobyerno doon sa kaso na asukado siya (He will set conditions for the government regarding the charges against him)," he added.

Despite this, Marcos assured Quiboloy, who supported his presidential candidacy in the 2022 polls, that the proceedings would be fair.

"We will exercise all the compassion to Pastor Quiboloy, whom we've known for a very long time," he said.

"Ang maipapangako ko (What I can promise), all the proceedings will be fair," he added.

President Marcos also told Pastor Quiboloy, who leads the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, that the involvement of the US in his case should not worry him.

"As to the involvement of the United States, malayo pa 'yan, eh (That's not going to happen soon)," he said.

"That's going to take years. So I don't think that's something he needs to worry about, quite frankly," he added.

Last week, the Davao Regional Trial Court issued a warrant of arrest against Quiboloy for sexual abuse.

Quiboloy alleged that Marcos' government had conspired with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to hand him over to the Americans.

Quiboloy is on the FBI’S wanted list after a Los Angeles court in 2011 charged him and his associates with conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling.