Quiboloy, Apolinario: Both acts may be ‘fooling the people’

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NLY Pastor Joel Apolinario and his Kapa-community Ministry International Inc. are in the center of the spotlight during the past several days. But Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) share some of the glare.

Quiboloy is suspected of prompting President Duterte to order a crackdown on Kapa (Kabus Padatoon, or the poor made rich) for an alleged massive investment scam. Pastor Apollo last June 11 publicly accused Kapa of violating the law and hiding a “racket” under the cloak of religion and “fooling the people.” Perhaps it was no coincidence that Duterte, a close friend of the KJC founder, instructed police and NBI to shut down Kapa operations while interviewed by televangelist Quiboloy on his TV program in Davao City.

Both are rich

Inevitably, people wonder how religion is being used by both pastors for their personal interest. They look at the riches both are widely known to own and possess:

• Quiboloy is listed among the top 10 richest religious leaders in the country (#4 in one list), with a net worth of $100 million in one ranking and P150 million in another; keeps a private jet and a helicopter; and owns a sprawling tract of land where its church and other buildings sit and other assets in the country and abroad.

• Apolinario has 10 businesses—food, real estate, printing press, mining, gas station, fishing—listed in the name of his wife Reyna Lobitana Almario, funded by Kappa; owns a bulletproof SUV and a helicopter (which followers reportedly love to see him in during his pastoral visits); and, through his wife, 10 “luxury” vehicles.

Size of following

And each must envy the other’s claimed size of following: Quiboloy’s KJC, with four million devotees here and two million abroad; Apolinario’s Kapa, with five million members, per SEC estimate, or 10 million, according to a Kapa spokesman’s claim.

Quiboloy does not speak of donations, particularly during the current controversy, but he is known to have an active network of gift solicitors here and abroad. KJC’S opulent church and surroundings and Quiboloy’s lifestyle reflect affluence.

Apolinario’s Kapa branches report of daily transactions in hundreds of thousands of pesos. An epic rise in assets of Kapa in less than three years is enviable, that despite its claimed daily 30% payouts to five million donors/investors, estimated at P15 million a month or P180 billion a year.

Son of God, Moses

The common thread in the Quiboloy and Apolinario narratives is religion. And the question about the use of religion for purposes other than enrichment of the soul must disturb some people.

Which of them is, to use Quiboloy’s phrase, “fooling the people?”

Quiboloy himself claims he is the “appointed son of God.” How did he receive the appointment? Nobody has checked out his appointment papers; even the Catholic Church, which has the franchise on that sort of thing.

Apolinario, through his platoon of communicators, says he is the modern-day Moses who “liberates” people from poverty. Pastor Joel says his ministry is to “fight evil” and poverty is the “kingdom of the devil.” Give him your P5,000 to P10,000, let it rest with Kapa and you’ll get 30 percent for life.

No other religion is doing that, although any pretense at being “a church within a church” is evidenced only by group prayers and chants.

Focus on crime

The focus is on the crime committed. A religious group may make outlandish claims about divinity or being close to God as long as no law is violated.

Kappa may have crossed the line. Instead of promising salvation from hell and reward of heaven, Apolinario, a former FM radio deejay and technician, promised to lift the poor from poverty, quoting the Bible to support his claim. A promise of monthly payout, in return for one’s one-time donation, is apparently more alluring than a cash-for-heaven swap.

But here’s the thing. Kapa is accused of committing syndicated estafa; KJC is not.

Priests and pastors are sometimes criticized for “fooling the people” through religious pitch or prop. But deceiving people about religion is not criminal. Violating the law on investments is.* T

HERE have been series of reactions from different social media platforms and talks from different corners and informal conversations on the proposed mandatory Reserved Officers Training Course (ROTC) for Senior High School students which was already passed in the third and final reading in the House of Representatives. It was certified as urgent by no less than President Rodrigo R. Duterte. As the institution which will implement the said inclusion to the K to 12 Curriculum, the executive committee of Deped after series of consultations came out with this official statement which I will publish here in toto:

Statement on House’s passage of the proposed mandatory ROTC in SHS:

The Department of Education (Deped) welcomes the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) as its proposed implementation in Senior High School (SHS) passed the third and final reading at the House of Representatives.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s preference and instruction to revive the mandatory ROTC, especially his reiteration during the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Palarong Pambansa, set the direction for Deped to start coordinating with the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on its implementation.

The series of consultations and discussions resulted in the: signing of a DEPED-DND/AFP Memorandum of Agreement; creation of a joint technical working group and a joint secretariat; conceptualization of Advance Citizens Training Program (ACTP) pending the passage of the law reviving mandatory ROTC; drafting of curriculum guide and modules; drafting of ACTP implementing policies and guidelines; listing of pilot schools; training of potential pilot program implementors; and development of common positions at congressional hearings.

To help ensure the protection and safety of learners, the Department advocates the strict adherence to the following laws and policies, which should be reiterated explicitly in the proposed law: Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace (no introduction of firearms in school premises), Child Protection Policy, Management of Children-at-risk and Children in Conflict with the Law, Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination, Anti-hazing and Anti-bullying, Prohibition of Fraternities and Sororities in Elementary and Secondary Schools, Convention on the Rights of the Child and Its Optional Protocol.

Aside from strict adherence to the aforementioned laws and policies, Deped also proposes with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian the inclusion of the following provisions in the proposed law: Establishment of grievance committees from districts to the national level, Joint Congressional Oversight Committee and mandatory evaluation and review, Imposition of maximum penalty for offenses under existing laws committed by implementors, ROTC instructors’ academy, Pilot program implementation to limited number of schools in the first two years of implementation, Authorization to use existing budget for pilot implementation prior to inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act, Allocation of special annual budget to cover implementation, such as but not limited to training of instructors; uniforms for instructors and students; replica firearms; manuals and textbooks; office facilities and supplies; classroom and ground maintenance; instructors’ remuneration, etc. and Joint DEPED-DND/AFP supervision and administration of the mandatory ROTC Program.

In all undertakings, Deped emphasizes on the inclusion of the following priority concerns in the ROTC curriculum and implementation: Patriotism, nationalism, and core values, National heroes and history of the Filipino nation, Filipino citizenship, civic duty, and discipline, Respect for human and civil rights, rule of law, and law enforcement, Critical thinking, leadership, and scientific and technological development, Disaster preparedness and response, rescue and first aid, and recovery and rehabilitation, Ecology and environment protection and Anti-drug abuse and anti-poverty.

This Corner hopes that all of these important considerations will be discussed and finalized before the final implementation of the law so that the transition will not be a burden to the stakeholders to be involved in the said change.