Karmina Constantino calls out Ferdinand Topacio for his 'tanga' remark vs Sen. Risa Hontiveros on-air
Karmina Constantino made the rounds online again after calling out a guest who displayed untoward behavior on her program.
The broadcast journalist interviewed Ferdinand Topacio, the lawyer of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, on ANC’s Dateline Philippines on Tuesday, Dec. 12 after allegations of abuse in the pastor’s church have resurfaced.
It came after Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who heads the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, asked the Department of Justice to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order against Quiboloy. Immigration officers must alert the justice secretary and the prosecutor general should the subject try to leave the country.
Citing witnesses, Hontiveros said church members in Quiboloy’s “innermost circle” that perform household chores, including a minor, were being forced to give “sexual services” to him. They were also allegedly coerced to beg for money from strangers.
Topacio says abuse claims vs Quiboloy were 'recycled'
In the ANC interview, Topacio dismissed the pronouncements of Hontiveros as "recycled." According to him, the allegations are already the subject of a criminal proceeding in the United States. He also said they should let the court decide as the Senate “is not the proper forum for that.”
“Binobola lang tayo niyang si Risa,” he said, before raving and ranting against the senator.
Constantino asked him to take Hontiveros out of the discussion, as she was only focusing on the resurfaced allegations. When she asked Topacio about the claims, he again mentioned Hontiveros’ name.
“I don’t need to defend it here. I need to defend it in court,” Topacio said. “I don’t definitely need to defend it against Sen. Risa Hontiveros, whose reputation for credibility’s shot through and through.”
He asked Hontiveros to accompany the witnesses in filing a case before the courts instead of conducting a Senate hearing, which he said is “not a body conducive to arriving at the truth.”
Topacio accused senators in Senate hearings of browbeating, degrading, and destroying the reputation of who it summons. “That is the game plan of Ms. Hontiveros. Eh tanga ka na lang 'pag 'di mo nakita ‘yan,” he said.
A deadpan Constantino then gave him a gentle reminder. “I’m not going to humor you with that. I’m not gonna even react to what you just said, Atty. Topacio.”
Topacio explained that she wasn’t referring to Constantino and talking about the matter “in general.”
“Yeah, but I don’t allow that kind of language here on my program, so let’s move on,” she said.
In early 2022, Constantino became a hot topic online for slamming then presidential candidate Jose Montemayor Jr. on her program. He insinuated that her show and its home network were paid to ask him about his claim that Isko Moreno received $15 million from Bill Gates for his presidential campaign in the previous elections.
"Doctor Montemayor, we are not in the business of getting paid. I am personally insulted by that insinuation. We can go on with this interview, we can leave this topic aside and move on, but let me tell you, this is not an insinuation that I will take lightly," she told Montemayor.
"This company is not in the business of getting paid. This journalist has never been—or ever will be—paid by anyone to ask or not to ask questions," she stressed.