President Apollo Quiboloy

By Alex P. Vidal

“I am to be loved, honored and respected solely because I exist. I am to be cherished, spoiled, celebrated because I Am! I was made to be admired. I am a beloved child of God after all.”―Emmanuella Raphaelle

IF he is allowed, or will be interested, to run for president (granting he won’t be arrested, jailed and disqualified before the next Philippine presidential election), Apollo Quiboloy could win handily.

As an “appointed son of God”, 73-year-old Quiboloy’s “divine power” is a major edge against any monetary and material campaign arsenal.

Aside from his millions of followers in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, Quiboloy is a real McCoy and isn’t peanuts. He must be “half god, half human” who “can stop” typhoons and earthquakes.

Most of the 65.75 million registered voters in the Philippines think he has the supernatural ability. Many of the voters believe he holds the key to the “stairways to heaven.” This is the mindset of the Filipino voter.

If “God wants Quiboloy to serve as president, who can be against God?” Religion provides the Filipino voter a form of comfort that he can turn to alleviate his frustration and suffering.

The same number and quality of voters believed Robin Padilla is a good legislator thus they made him their No. 1 pick; Rodrigo Duterte could solve the problem on illegal drugs and criminality in six months; Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would lower the price of rice to P20/kilo; Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada were innocent of plunder; Bong Go, Bato Dela Rosa, Manny Pacquiao were a lot better than Gibo Teodoro, Mar Roxas, Chel Dioko. And so on and so forth.

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It’s the Filipino voter who decides and has final say; and, as already proven on several modern times elections, he always goes for the underdog, the tart-tongued, the mediocre, the famous and showbiz star, the womanizer, the coup plotter, the soothsayer, the magician, the celebrity and sports hero, the spiritual guru and impostor, the advocate of “swift justice” or summary execution.

It shouldn’t surprise us anymore that Padilla defends Quiboly and considers the super-rich spiritual leader as “hero.”

It shouldn’t shock us anymore that Cynthia Villar thinks Quiboloy, a long-time family friend, is a “very decent” man and “innocent” of the accusations of rape, sex trafficking, etcetera.

It shouldn’t bewilder us anymore that Smiling Imee Marcos believes Quiboloy is the “victim” and not perpetrator of morally reprehensible crimes.

It shouldn’t make us wonder that Bong Go, Duterte’s sidekick, agrees without much ado and says yes to Padilla to shield Quiboloy from being arrested for ignoring the invitation to appear in the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.

The volume of publicity generated by the constant and prolonged mention of Quiboloy’s name in the media these past weeks and months is enough to give him leverage and advantages in name recall, the most effective vehicle to win a public office in the Philippines.

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RED PLANET. A large level of Iron Oxide gives Mars its reddish color; because of this color it was nicknamed the “red planet”.

HIGHS OF LOVE, SEX. The same chemical responsible for the ecstatic highs of love and sexual attraction, phenylethylamine, is also found in chocolate.

OPEN EYES. Fifty percent of men keep their eyes open when kissing. (Brigitte)

QUIBOLOY OF AMERICA? Montana GOP Rep. Matt Rosendale announced March 8 he’ll be retiring at the end of this Congress amid “defamatory rumors” that he impregnated a 20-year-old staffer. “This has taken a serious toll on me and my family, ” he said in a letter posted to X. “Additionally it has caused a serious disruption to the threat to the election of the next representative for MT-02.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)