Latest news with #Quiboloy
GMA Network
22-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
DOJ dismisses Duterte's complaints vs. Abalos, Marbil over warrant serving at KOJC
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed the malicious mischief and domicile complaints filed by former President and KOJC property administrator Rodrigo Duterte against former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and other officials. In a 14-page joint resolution, the DOJ dismissed the two counts of malicious mischief filed against Abalos, Philippine National Police chief Police General Rommel Marbil, and others for damaging the gate of the compound during the serving of warrants against KOJC founder Apollo Quiboloy in August 2024. The DOJ ruled that there was no malice present. 'No evidence—direct or circumstantial—has been offered to show that any of the respondents, much less those who were not physically present, acted with malicious intent,' the resolution read. 'At best, the complainants impute malice based on the scale and nature of the operation, which is legally insufficient,' it added. Aside from this, the DOJ dismissed the complaint for violation of domicile filed against Abalos, Marbil, and other cops. Duterte alleged that the police officers forcibly entered the compound and residential quarters without a search warrant, violating their domicile right. However, the DOJ said that no evidence was presented that the police entered any premises in defiance of the law. 'Their actions, as alleged, fall within the realm of lawful performance of duty and are protected by the presumption of regularity in official functions,' it read. 'Absent any overt act that constitutes an element of the crimes charged, and in the absence of malice, unlawful intent, or personal participation, this Office finds that no probable cause exists to warrant the indictment of the respondents,' The complaint was dismissed by Davao Acting City Prosecutor Angelica Laygo-Francisco. Last August, tensions rose between the KOJC and the PNP as the latter attempted to serve the arrest warrants against Quiboloy. This ended with Quiboloy's surrender to authorities in September after he was given an ultimatum to turn himself in within 24 hours. Quiboloy is facing charges under Section 5(b) and Section 10(a) of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. He is also facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended, before a Pasig court. In a statement, Abalos welcomed the dismissal, saying it is a win for truth and justice. 'It affirms that all our actions were in accordance with the law. Ito ay malinaw na ang aming ginawa ay tamang pagpapatupad ng batas [It is clear that what we did was a proper implementation of the law],' he said. 'This is the end of the matter. The truth has prevailed,' he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Posts falsely claim outdated ballot template proves Philippine election fraud
A TikTok video posted April 14 shows an image of a sample ballot and highlights three senatorial candidates from PDP Laban, Duterte's political party: arrested pastor Apollo Quiboloy, former presidential secretary Vic Rodriguez and actor Phillip Salvador. The purported ballot lists Quiboloy at No. 52, Rodriguez at No. 55 and Salvador at No. 57. The video then juxtaposes this with the party's official campaign posters, which show numbers that are one higher for each candidate (archived link). "The numbers shown for three PDP-Laban candidates became different. Beware," says the video's Tagalog caption, suggesting the Comelec altered the PDP Laban candidates' ballot numbers in an attempt to confuse voters. Several other posts on Facebook and TikTok reshared the claim. Campaigning began in February in the Philippines for midterm elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte (archived link). Talk show hosts, movie stars and a preacher jailed on sex trafficking charges are among the candidates vying for a dozen open Senate seats. While the vote will fill more than 18,000 posts nationwide, it is the would-be senators who are facing a duty few bargained for -- serving as jurists in the impeachment trial of Rodrigo Duterte's eldest daughter. The vice president, whose alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos has imploded spectacularly, was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5 on charges of "violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes". Comments on the posts alleging election malfeasance indicate some users believed the claim. "Cheating starts now," one user wrote. Another said: "What is this Comelec, type of error?" But the posts share an older version of the official ballot template. A Google reverse image search shows the video corresponds to an earlier template version the Comelec unveiled to the public on January 5 (archived link). While this version did show Quiboloy at No. 52, Rodriguez at No. 55 and Salvador at No. 57, the Comelec later updated the ballot to reflect changes in the list of senatorial candidates. On January 14, the Supreme Court ruled to add Subair Guinthum Mustapha to the ballot after it stopped the Comelec from disqualifying him for being a nuisance candidate (archived links here and here). As a result, the Comelec had to reprint the ballots. The commission also updated the templates on its website (archived links here and here). On February 24, PDP Laban's verified Facebook page showed candidates Quiboloy, Rodriguez and Salvador had moved one spot lower (archived link). Ballot changes also affected some of the senatorial candidates under President Ferdinand Marcos's New Philippines Alliance -- not only the three PDP Laban candidates, as the posts falsely claim (archived link). The total number of senatorial contenders remained at 66 after candidate Chavit Singson dropped from the race on January 16 (archived link). AFP contacted the Comelec for comment, but a response was not forthcoming. AFP has fact-checked misinformation related to the 2025 midterm elections here.
AFP
18-04-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Posts falsely claim outdated ballot template proves Philippine election fraud
A TikTok video posted April 14 shows an image of a sample ballot and highlights three senatorial candidates from PDP , Duterte's political party: arrested pastor Apollo Quiboloy, former presidential secretary Vic Rodriguez and actor Salvador. The purported ballot lists Quiboloy at No. 52, Rodriguez at No. 55 and Salvador at No. 57. The video then juxtaposes this with the party's official campaign posters, (archived link). "The numbers shown for three PDP-Laban candidates became different. Beware," says the video's Tagalog caption, suggesting the Comelec altered the PDP Laban candidates' ballot numbers in an attempt to confuse voters. Several other posts on Facebook and TikTok reshared the claim. Image Screenshot of the false TikTok post taken April 16, 2025 Campaigning began in February in the Philippines for midterm elections that could set the table for the next presidential race and determine the political future of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte (archived link). Talk show hosts, movie stars and a preacher jailed on sex trafficking charges are among the candidates vying for a dozen open Senate seats. While the vote will fill more than 18,000 posts nationwide, it is the would-be senators who are facing a duty few bargained for -- serving as jurists in the impeachment trial of Rodrigo Duterte's eldest daughter. The vice president, whose alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos has imploded spectacularly, was impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5 on charges of "violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes". Comments on the posts alleging election malfeasance indicate some users believed the claim. "Cheating starts now," one user wrote. Another said: "What is this Comelec, type of error?" But the posts share an older version of the official ballot template. Outdated ballot A Google reverse image search shows the video corresponds to an earlier template version the Comelec unveiled to the public on January (archived link). While this version did show Quiboloy at No. 52, Rodriguez at No. 55 and Salvador at No. 57, the Comelec later updated the ballot to reflect changes in the list of senatorial candidates. On January 14, the Supreme Court ruled to add Subair Guinthum Mustapha to the ballot after it stopped the Comelec from him for being a nuisance candidate (archived links here and here). As a result, the Comelec had to reprint the ballots. The also updated the templates on its website (archived links here and here). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Comelec's updated official ballot template, with highlights made by AFP On February , PDP Laban's verified Facebook page showed candidates Quiboloy, Rodriguez and Salvador had moved one spot lower (archived link). Ballot changes also affected some of the senatorial candidates under President Ferdinand Marcos's New Philippines Alliance -- not only the three PDP Laban candidates, as the posts falsely claim (archived link). after candidate Chavit Singson dropped from the race on January 16 (archived link). AFP contacted the Comelec for comment, but a response was not . AFP has fact-checked misinformation related to the 2025 midterm elections here.
