Martha Udom
A Philippine court has issued an extradition warrant of arrest against detained preacher Apollo Quiboloy and two of his associates following a request by the United States government to extradite them over alleged human trafficking and sex trafficking offences.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 145, issued the warrant and a hold-departure order against Quiboloy on Thursday, November 12.
The orders also apply to two co-accused, Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Helen Panilag, both officials of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church.
According to the DOJ, the court found probable cause that the three individuals are those named in a November 2021 US federal grand jury indictment in the Central District of California and that the offences against them are extraditable under Philippine law.
Quiboloy faces several charges in the United States, including conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.
US prosecutors allege that Quiboloy and other KOJC members recruited women and girls as personal assistants before coercing them into sexual acts.
Quiboloy remains detained at the Pasig City Jail over separate cases in the Philippines. He is facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge before a Pasig court and a child abuse case before a Quezon City court.
The DOJ filed the extradition petition on November 9 on behalf of the US government, following a formal extradition request from Washington in August.
Under Philippine extradition rules, once the court is notified that the arrest warrants have been implemented, the extraditees must be personally served with summons and copies of the extradition petition and its supporting documents. They will then have 15 days from receipt of the summons to file a verified answer before hearings proceed.
Meanwhile, the Philippine presidential palace has denied that the timing of the court’s orders is connected to US President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit to Manila on November 17 for the ASEAN summit.
