Three public officials who spoke out against Pastor Apollo Quiboloy now face legal action from the detained religious leader. His counsel plans to lodge libel and cyberlibel complaints against Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Rep. Leila de Lima and Rep. Perci Cendaña, all of whom publicly tied him to accusations of sexual abuse, child abuse and human trafficking.
An advisory released Wednesday said the legal team, headed by Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, would submit the paperwork Thursday at the Pasig Prosecutor’s Office.
Of the three, Cendaña has been among the most vocal, repeatedly siding with those who accused the pastor and pressing for him to answer to American courts. Told of the impending complaint, the lawmaker signaled no retreat.
“I’d rather be libelous than be a sex trafficker. Thank God, I’m not any of them,” Cendaña said.
He stated his belief that Quiboloy was a “child molester, pedophile, and human trafficker,” and once more urged that the pastor be sent to the United States. Weighed against what the accusers and their relatives reportedly endured, Cendaña described the threatened case as trivial.
“My advice to Quiboloy is for him to devote his time and energy to face his victims in a US court,” he said.
De Lima, for her part, has thrown her weight behind the push to hold Quiboloy accountable. Hontiveros steered the Senate probe into the trafficking and abuse claims surrounding the pastor and the KOJC. At a hearing in October 2024, people identifying themselves as victims came forward to confront him directly, and he rejected what they said. Ex-members of the group described alleged forced labor, sexual abuse, trafficking and intimidation during those proceedings, all of which the pastor disputed.
Approached for reaction, Hontiveros’s camp offered no comment for the moment, saying it would hold off until Thursday’s filing. De Lima’s side had not weighed in by press time.
Quiboloy has been in custody since his September 2024 arrest and is contending with criminal cases at home. Washington indicted him in 2021 on federal sex trafficking charges, which he denies, and the Department of Justice says it is now studying the US extradition request under the bilateral treaty and Philippine law.
