Four Filipino senators have signed a written objection against the fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy. The said pastor is under investigation and wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of rape, abuse, and human trafficking. Risa Hontiveros, a staunch opposition senator, cited Quiboloy for contempt following his refusal to attend the charges against him. In response, senators allied with the pastor have signed a written objection to his contempt order. These senators, Bong Go, Cynthia Villar, Imee Marcos, and Robin Padilla, are known allies of Quiboloy and are using their positions to prevent democratic processes that would probably result in the arrest of Quiboloy.  

Quiboloy is leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a 6 million strong Christian sect with assets in the millions of dollars. Notably, he is a staunch ally of the past authoritarian president Rodrigo Duterte who used his executive powers to protect Quiboloy from charges against him. The Philippines is known for these practices where influential religious leaders endorse candidates or outright engage in “bloc voting” where whole religious groups vote for a candidate chosen by their leader. This relationship is simple, politicians win the favor of religious leaders for millions of votes, and in turn they gain favors and influence over these elected politicians. Quiboloy also wields control over Sonshine Media Network, known locally as SMNI, which is the official broadcast corporation of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. This media corporation is known as a platform to spread disinformation, attack journalists, and engage in red-tagging, a process where individuals and organizations are accused of being communist insurgents thereby being perceived as enemies of the state.  SMNI benefitted from the denial of a franchise renewal of a major media organization, ABS-CBN, as they were granted frequencies and more rights to broadcast.

There are three key impacts that make this case an issue for democracy. First, it prevents proper democratic processes from taking place as politicians favor protecting their allies rather than abiding by these processes. Second, it erodes the quality of Philippine elections because these religious groups are known to dictate the vote of their members. And third, it creates a hostile and toxic environment for the media, opposition groups, and makes it more difficult to engage in civil discourse. Let us expound on these three impacts.

For the first point regarding democratic processes, the four senators who signed the written objection would rather protect an alleged rapist, human trafficker, and abuser instead of allowing the Senate to properly investigate these charges. Politicians and their benefactors engage in patron-client relationships wherein patrons offer a form of support or resources in exchange for influence over clients, politicians who need their votes and resources to win elections. This perfectly describes the relationship between Quiboloy and the senators who signed the objection, and even more so, his relationship with past-president Duterte.

These relationships are inherently damaging to democracy. They are literal forms of corruption, illegal, and it plagues all levels of society. Politicians become enablers of rent-seeking behavior which hinders development and deprives the common person of resources and services that the government should be providing. Additionally, these relationships result in a lack of accountability for elected politicians. Because their mandate as officials is not hinged on a clean competitive process of winning over voters, institutions have very little power in exercising accountability. This is due to a circumvention of established norms and most importantly, it goes against proper democratic principles, the likes of which politicians truly lack in this country. All in all, by signing that objection, these senators have proven that their regard for democracy is second to their desire to enrich their allies and protect the improper avenues that brought them to power. Not to say that this isn’t the first instance that these senators have contributed to democratic erosion.

For the second point regarding the quality of elections, the engagement in this patron-client relationship lowers the quality of elections. In an ideal democracy, votes are won through a clean and legitimate process of persuading voters through campaigning on sound platforms, a set of principles and ideologies, and excellent performance as politicians. These relationships prevent these ideals from transpiring. Politicians in the Philippines would rather win the favor of religious groups like the Kingdom of Jesus Christ who possess power over voters and financial resources. For the common voter, it means that they are less inclined to assess the quality of the candidate they are voting for as they are given material benefits like bribes for their vote, or simply because the church they follow simply tells them who to vote for. Other voters on the other hand outright refuse to participate in these dirty elections as they believe their vote wouldn’t matter against the powerful politicians who play dirty.

Quiboloy is not the sole example of practices like this, there are dozens of other religious leaders who engage in these practices. This system, which has persisted for generations, has created monstrously large religious groups who hold voting power that makes or breaks a candidate’s chance of winning elections. For democracy, it means that voters do not vote for the candidate who truly represents their interests, but merely who is dictated or offers the highest price for their vote. It also means that politicians are less likely to take the difficult yet cleaner route of proper campaigning when granting favors to these religious leaders means more votes for less effort. Even scarier is that politicians who engage in these practices empower those religious groups, creating a loop that further degrades democracy. All in all, the quality of elections is lost when favors take precedence over legitimate processes, a loss for democracy.

For the third and last point, the political environment becomes a toxic battleground not just for votes but even for information and discourse. The fact that politicians support these leaders who hold a large platform like SMNI means that society becomes more polarized and divisive. SMNI holds platforms not just on major broadcasting wavelengths but also new forms like social media. Here, they air disinformation and give a platform not just to Quiboloy but also to his clients, notably politicians who need a platform. They even go as far as being the largest sources of mudslinging, targeting especially opposition candidates.

Democracy cannot be expected to thrive in an environment that is inherently toxic and divisive. The fact that lines are drawn between camps makes mediation a difficult task because of the excessive polarization. For the voter, it makes choosing a candidate difficult given the toxicity of the environment. Who would want to participate in a system where politicians toss words at each other and are backed by an army of keyboard warriors who defend even their most controversial and wrong takes? Because the media becomes divisive instead of an informative environment where discourse can flourish, information that makes democracies flourish is unable to be broadcasted. All in all, democracy cannot survive in an environment where civil discussion is practically impossible.

To summarize, the actions of these senators are an inherent attack on the pillars that hold democracy together. So long as Quiboloy and his allies in government stand, democracy will continue to fall.