ATTORNEY Harry Roque directly stated that the Senate committee hearings led by Senator Risa Hontiveros against the complaints on Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy are merely ‘in aid of persecution’.
Roque questioned the credibility of the individuals presented as witnesses by Sen. Hontiveros, noting that the fabricated cases against Pastor Apollo were long dismissed.
“The question is, what is in aid of legislation here? This is in aid of persecution against Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. Let’s face each other because if you exercised due diligence before presenting them in Congress, you would have known that the cases of those testifying were already dismissed by the prosecutor. It’s unbelievable, that’s just garbage. And it is in aid of election,” according to Atty. Harry Roque, Former Presidential Spokesperson.
“Senator Risa, tell us what law you are thinking about there. We don’t have the truth yet.”
“Answer this: why did you make them testify in the Senate when you are sure that the prosecutor already dismissed the cases? Why bring the case to court when there’s no hope of conviction? It’s just a waste of time, energy, and government funds,” he added.
Roque emphasized that if the complaint against Pastor Apollo did not pass the scrutiny of the prosecutor, it should not have been taken to the Senate.
Instead, it should have been directly filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) if there were shortcomings in the prosecutorial process.
As a remedy, Roque suggested that if there are substantial new evidence against the accused, the complainants should refile the case with the prosecutor, bypassing the Senate.
“But what will the prosecutor do? They’ve already made a finding of no probable cause. You can’t depend on who the prosecutor is. You know, the evidence is very clear in the rules of evidence; nothing passes through there. The rule is that there must be personal knowledge, personal awareness, no hearsay allowed. The rule is that if it’s written, the document should be submitted. The rule is that it should be believable in the first place. What you’re saying should be believable, and to be believable, you should be credible as a person. The problem here is that those complaining have also done immoral things, and yet they act like they’re saints. Hello?!” he said.
Roque, a lawyer, found it perplexing that Hontiveros, who is not even a prosecutor, is gathering information to bolster accusations against an individual.
He stressed that this is not the senator’s responsibility and should be left to the prosecutor.
“That’s why it’s mind-boggling. It should be with the prosecutor, not with a senator. Even if she turns blue or rolls on the floor, if there’s no evidence, the prosecutor won’t file it in court, and the Senate can’t do anything if there’s no evidence, period. Nothing will happen,” he stated.
Roque explained that before a complaint becomes a case, it should already have substance and strong evidence, starting with the prosecutor, before being filed in court.
;
