IT is not about Quiboloy — that is a line now making the rounds of social media, foisted quite obviously by those who impute ulterior motives to what appears to be a determination on the part of law enforcers to arrest Apollo Quiboloy. And my response to that is: Of course, it is not about Quiboloy.

It is about whether we can still trust enforcers to act in accordance with their bounden duties and rely on the courts and their orders for the vindication of rights.

The hunt for Quiboloy did not emanate from Malacañang as is malevolently suggested. It took off after criminal charges had been filed against him. It is not the Philippine courts alone that want him. There is a standing US federal warrant for his arrest. It is not for misdemeanors that he is wanted but for very serious offenses that, were they committed by someone other than one who has claimed to be "The Appointed Son of God," would have led the accused person to be clapped in irons immediately. These were the very same charges that got the late Cardinal George Pell incarcerated like a common criminal for one year before he was released and the charges dismissed as baseless. And that is where the crux of the matter lies. Will Quiboloy be able to get away with it — hie away perhaps on board his private plane from his private airstrip to some sanctuary overseas, beyond the reach of the law? Will the writs of court be ineffectual against "The Appointed Son of God" and because of his political patrons, coddlers and protectors?

Of course, it is not about Quiboloy, for ours is a government of laws and not of men — so regardless of who the person might be against whom a warrant of arrest is issued, if the law reigns, as it should, and the people of this Republic are to feel safe within its domain, then the warrant must be served, and the person ordered arrested by the courts, brought before them to answer for the crimes with which he or she is charged. Of course, it is not about Quiboloy. It is about the credibility of the Philippine legal system, the integrity of law enforcers and the guarantees of our system of rights and their vindication. After all, those who claim to have been offended or assaulted by him, whether before US authorities or our own, also have rights that must be protected.

This may very well be the litmus test of our law enforcers with respect to their sincerity about the discharge of their duties. Are they worthy of the continued trust of the citizens who count on them to enforce the law regardless of the clout or influence of the persons who transgress the law, or shall they buckle down under pressure and prove the citizens' worst fears that, in this country, power and money carve out exceptions from the reach of the law?

In fact, many are entertaining doubts, and they are not entirely to blame. Many are cynical. Given the large number of law enforcers — uniformed police officers — tasked with apprehending Quiboloy, why have they not done so till now? While it may be true that the compound within which he has ensconced himself is labyrinthine, some find it hard to believe that, to date, he has eluded arrest. They will never find, many seem to now believe, who are never determined to find. But I continue to repose my trust in our law enforcers, and I pray to God that they will prove cynics wrong. For so much is at stake here, so much more than just Quiboloy!

rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph

rannie_aquino@outlook.com