Political party that Quiboloy wrote in his COC for senator seeks his disqualification
MANILA, Philippines – A political party that doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy wants to use as his vehicle for his 2025 senatorial run is contesting his candidacy.
The Workers and Peasants Party (WPP), the party Quiboloy wrote in his certificate of candidacy (COC), alleged that the human trafficking and sexual abuse defendant committed material misrepresentation in his submitted documents, including his certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA).
“The CONA submitted purportedly from the WPP was signed by a certain Mark Kristopher Tolentino, who is not a party officer and not authorized to [sign the] CONA. The individual who submitted the CONA of the respondent was not authorized to do so under the party’s internal procedures and rules submitted to this honorable commission, including the authorized signatories for such certificates,” read the petition filed on Wednesday, October 16.
The party argued that while the submission of an unauthorized CONA is not an explicit ground for disqualification, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) can nullify his candidacy for “falsely [claiming] to have been properly nominated by a political party through an unauthorized or fake CONA.”
“It is submitted that as shown in his action, his certificate has been filed to put the election process in mockery as Quiboloy is playing a ‘smoke and mirrors’ game at the expense of the WPP,” the party said.
“He is exploiting the electoral process as a smokescreen to deflect attention from the serious criminal charges he faces, including qualified human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors. This undermines the integrity of the 2025 senatorial elections and makes a mockery of our democratic system,” it added.
Aside from WPP, the complaint also specifies Sonny Matula, party president and also a 2025 senatorial hopeful, as a petitioner.
Rappler has reached out to Quiboloy’s camp for a reaction, but we have yet to receive a reply.
Quiboloy, who has been under police custody since his surrender in early September, filed his COC for senator via his lawyer Mark Tolentino on October 8.
Tolentino said the embattled preacher, if elected, would advocate for religious freedom, accessible medical services, and “zero corruption,” among other things.
A Comelec memo released later Wednesday included Quiboloy in the initial list of senatorial aspirants for 2025, after removing potential nuisance bets from the lineup. – Rappler.com