Police secure Kingdom of Jesus Christ Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and his co-accused as they leave the Pasig City Regional Trial Court on September 12, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN NewsMANILA -- (UPDATED) Senatorial aspirant and labor leader Sonny Matula filed a petition with the Commission of Elections to cancel the certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) issued to Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to run for senator under the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party. 

Senatorial aspirant and labor leader Sonny Matula filed a petition with the Commission of Elections to cancel the certificate of nomination and acceptance issued to Pastor Apollo Quiboloy to run for senator under the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party. 

Matula said Quiboloy’s CONA must be cancelled due to “material representation” and that he should be disqualified from the senatorial race.

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Quiboloy filed his certificate of candidacy to run for senator under the WPP but Matula asserted the party did not nominate the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. 

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Meanwhile, the camp of Quiboloy has asked the Comelec to declare Matula and nine other senatorial aspirants of the WPP as nuisance candidates. 

In a letter request to the Comelec, lawyer Mark Tolentino, who introduced himself as "chairman and president" of WPP, requested for the cancellation of the COC of Matula and nine others, claiming they are running “under the Workers Party Philippines” which is unaffiliated to the Workers and Peasants Party.

Notably, of the 10 WPP aspirants subject of the letter, only Matula made it to the initial list of Comelec’s valid candidates released on Wednesday. 

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Tolentino added, referring to Matula and the other WPP aspirants: “This is the first time they filed COC as a senatorial candidate under the said unregistered party (Workers Party Philippines); They have no program of governance in the event they win; They failed to exercise their utmost vigilance in the protection of their candidacy. They are unable to conduct an election campaign due to their disorganized platform. And lastly, They failed to demonstrate seriousness in running for the office.” 

Tolentino reiterated: “Apollo Carreon Quiboloy is the sole official senatorial candidate of the duly registered Workers' and Peasants' Party in the Comelec.” 

Separately, a petition was filed by his group with the Comelec to declare Tolentino and others as “legitimate officers and members of Workers and Peasants Party.”

In a statement, Matula reiterated that he and his colleagues are "legitimate candidates under the Workers’ and Peasants’ Party."

"The WPP veterans have told me that after Atty. Tolentino was designated as Vice President for NCR in 2021 and listed as the first nominee for AASENSO party-list, he abandoned WPP and disengaged from its activities," said Matula. "Now, he has resurfaced as the legal representative for Mr. Apollo Quiboloy, and is endorsing him under WPP."

"This move is an attempt to hijack the party’s legitimacy, while Mr. Quiboloy himself faces charges of human trafficking, sexual abuse of minors, and other serious offenses both locally and in the United States," he added.

Matula noted that they have a "well-defined" platform, stemming from "nearly four decades of work within the labor movement."

As of October 16, according to data from the Comelec, 104 petitions have been filed for the declaration of nuisance candidates for the 2025 national and local elections, 24 for the cancellation of COC, 1 disqualification case, and 117 motu propio filing of petitions to declare 117 senatotial aspirants as nuisance candidates, for a total of 246 Special Action (SPA) cases filed.

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