17-10-2024 (MANILA) Labour leader Sonny Matula has filed a petition with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to cancel the certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) issued to Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, who is seeking to run for senator under the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party (WPP).
Matula, himself a senatorial aspirant, alleges “material misrepresentation” in Quiboloy’s CONA and argues for his disqualification from the race. The crux of Matula’s argument lies in his assertion that the WPP did not, in fact, nominate Quiboloy for the senatorial position.
In a swift counteraction, Quiboloy’s camp has retaliated by requesting the Comelec to declare Matula and nine other senatorial aspirants as nuisance candidates. Lawyer Mark Tolentino, claiming to be the “chairman and president” of WPP, submitted a letter to the Comelec seeking the cancellation of the certificates of candidacy (COCs) for Matula and his colleagues. Tolentino contends that these candidates are running under the “Workers Party Philippines”, which he claims is unaffiliated with the legitimate Workers’ and Peasants’ Party.
Tolentino’s letter raises several points against Matula and the other aspirants, including their alleged lack of a governance programme, inability to protect their candidacy, and failure to demonstrate seriousness in their bid for office. He emphatically stated, “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy is the sole official senatorial candidate of the duly registered Workers’ and Peasants’ Party in the Comelec.”
The controversy has deepened with Matula’s rebuttal, asserting that he and his colleagues are “legitimate candidates under the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party.” Matula alleges that Tolentino had previously abandoned the WPP after being designated as Vice President for NCR in 2021 and listed as the first nominee for AASENSO party-list. Matula claims Tolentino has now resurfaced as Quiboloy’s legal representative, attempting to “hijack the party’s legitimacy.”
Adding to the complexity of the situation, Matula highlighted that Quiboloy is currently facing serious charges including human trafficking and sexual abuse of minors, both in the Philippines and the United States.
The dispute has shed light on the broader electoral landscape in the Philippines. As of 16 October, the Comelec has reported a total of 246 Special Action (SPA) cases filed, including 104 petitions for the declaration of nuisance candidates, 24 for the cancellation of COCs, one disqualification case, and 117 motu proprio filings to declare senatorial aspirants as nuisance candidates.
