Apollo Quiboloy’s Senatorial Run Survives Disqualification Attempt by Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has thrown out a disqualification case against Apollo Quiboloy, a religious leader accused of child abuse, allowing him to continue his campaign for a Senate seat in the upcoming May 2025 midterm elections. The decision, detailed in a 14-page document released on December 18, was made by the Comelec First Division, which found that the evidence presented by labor leader Sonny Matula was insufficient to revoke Quiboloy’s certificate of candidacy. The ruling criticized the petition for lacking both factual and legal grounds for disqualification. Additionally, the Comelec pointed out procedural errors in the petition, specifically that combining a nuisance candidacy claim with other disqualification grounds was not permissible. Matula had challenged the validity of Quiboloy’s nomination by the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party, citing an unauthorized signatory on his Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance. However, the Comelec determined that this did not amount to material misrepresentation under election laws. Quiboloy, who is currently detained at Camp Crame in Quezon City on charges of human trafficking and child abuse, had withdrawn his party nomination on October 21 to run as an independent candidate.