FORMER UST secretary general and exorcist Fr. Winston Cabading, O.P., described the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling dismissing the perjury case against him as a “vindication for the Catholic Church.”
In a 37-page decision penned by Presiding Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, the CA’s first division granted Cabading’s petition and nullified the orders issued by Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 96 that denied his motion to dismiss the case.
“[It] is a vindication for the Catholic Church we love. This decision recognizes her authority and right to teach and instruct her children as a dutiful mother and teacher,” Cabading told The Flame.
The perjury case stemmed from an allegation of former Commission on Elections chief and Mary Mediatrix of All Grace devotee Harriet Demetriou, who filed an offending religious feelings case against Cabading in 2022. Demetriou was referring to statements Cabading made during a May 2022 Facebook livestream on the Church’s position that the 1948 Lipa Marian apparition was ”not supernatural of origin.”
A petition to revive the earlier case was dismissed by the appellate court in September last year.
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In 2023, Demetriou accused Cabading of perjury for allegedly making false statements in his counter-affidavit by citing a 1951 Vatican decree that declared the apparition “not supernatural in character” without attaching the Church document, which she claimed did not exist.
Cabading filed a motion to quash the information for perjury, which the RTC denied on Dec. 9, 2024. It was followed by a motion for reconsideration, which was likewise denied on March 14, 2025.
‘Grave abuse of discretion’
The appellate court found that the RTC committed “grave abuse of discretion” in refusing to dismiss the charge, as it failed to clearly state how Cabading’s statements were false, violating his constitutional right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.
“The issuances of the trial court which denied petitioner’s motion to quash and upheld the subject information for perjury, which was found to be insufficient, violated that constitutional right,” the decision read.
The appellate court noted that records showed that Cabading had submitted a certified true copy of the decree before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City. The submission negated the claim that the 1951 decree is non-existent.
As a result, the CA nullified the two RTC orders and issued a permanent injunction to prevent their implementation.
“Accordingly, petitioner Winston Ferdinand Roman F. Cabading I’s motion to quash the information for perjury is granted,” the court said.
Cabading said the perjury case was the third and final case filed against him by the same complainant.
“It is truly unfortunate that the lower court bracketed the document rather than quashed the case outright, even though the decree in question was submitted before it,” the Dominican priest said.
“With the dismissal of the case, this is a significant victory. The lawyers will move accordingly as the Court of Appeals’ order is executed,” he added.
Cabading, an exorcist, is the rector of the Shrine of the Most Holy Rosary or Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City and an instructor at the UST Faculty of Sacred Theology. He previously held administrative posts at the University, including chair of the dogma section, vice rector for religious affairs and secretary general. F
