Philippines court orders arrest of preacher Quiboloy in US extradition push

The Makati Regional Trial Court ordered the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy and barred him from leaving the country on Thursday, Justice Department spokesman Polo Martinez told AFP on Saturday. The court said it found probable cause that he committed the offences charged. Manila filed its extradition petition with a lower court on Monday, three months after Washington formally asked for him in August. The court must now hold hearings before deciding whether to hand him over.

The same orders landed on two co-accused: Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, both officers of Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect. Both women are still at large, according to local media. The FBI named Dandan the 'international administrator' of a fake charity operation and Panilag a former top church administrator in the US.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro rejected any link between the warrant and US President Donald Trump's November 17 trip to Manila for the ASEAN summit. 'No, it was probably just a coincidence,' she said, per the Philippines News Agency.

Quiboloy, who calls himself the 'appointed son of God', is already behind bars without bail while standing trial for human trafficking in Pasig, a charge carrying life in prison if he is convicted. He also faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City. He denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to the Philippine charges.

A US grand jury indicted him in 2021 for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling. Police said after his 2024 arrest that alleged victims were told they were having sex with the 'spirit of God' and warned that 'angels of death' would hunt them down if they spoke. The church said at the time its members had 'freedom of choice'.

His sect claims millions of followers and runs its own television network. Quiboloy is a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and ran for the Senate last year from prison, picking up 5.6 million votes — and losing.