️ A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted by the US regime on child sex trafficking charges, in a step that could open the way to his possible extradition, the Philippine Department of Justice said. The Makati Regional Trial Court issued the warrant and a hold-departure order on Thursday after finding probable cause over offences charged in the extradition petition, department spokesman Polo Martinez told AFP on Saturday. Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God,” remains in custody in the Philippines without bail while facing separate human trafficking and child abuse trials. The case combines high-profile religion, electoral politics, and a sensitive foreign extradition request.
️ Key Takeaways: The Makati court issued an arrest warrant and hold-departure order against Quiboloy and two co-accused, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, on Thursday. The Philippine government filed its extradition petition on Monday, three months after the US regime formally requested his transfer in August. Quiboloy denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to Philippine charges.
️ The court action is procedural but significant: under Philippine law, the lower court must now hold hearings before deciding whether to hand Quiboloy over to US authorities. The Philippine government filed its petition with the lower court on Monday, three months after the US regime formally requested his extradition in August. The same orders were issued against Dandan and Panilag, both described as officers of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ, or KOJC. Local media reported that the two women remain at large. The FBI has reportedly identified Dandan as the “international administrator” of a fake charity operation and Panilag as a former top church administrator in the US, according to local media accounts cited by AFP.
️ Quiboloy’s legal exposure spans both the Philippines and the United States. A US grand jury indicted him in 2021 for alleged conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling, AFP reported. In the Philippines, he is being held without bail while on trial for human trafficking in Pasig, a case that carries life imprisonment if he is convicted, and he also faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the Philippine charges. Police said after his 2024 arrest that alleged victims were told they were having sex with the “spirit of God” and were threatened that “angels of death” would hunt them down if they told anyone. The church said at the time that members had “freedom of choice.”
️ The timing has drawn attention because US President Donald Trump is reportedly due in Manila on November 17 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, speaking for the Office of the President, denied that the warrant was timed to coincide with the visit. “No, it was probably just a coincidence,” she said, according to the Philippines News Agency. Quiboloy is a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and he ran for the Senate last year from prison, receiving 5.6 million votes but losing, AFP reported. His sect claims millions of followers and owns a television network, giving the case an unusually public profile in Philippine politics and religious life.
️ The next stage will be court hearings on the extradition petition, where Quiboloy’s lawyers are expected to contest the probable-cause findings and argue against transfer. For now, the arrest warrant and hold-departure order prevent him and the two co-accused from leaving the country while the proceedings continue. The case also remains intertwined with his separate domestic trials, meaning any extradition decision could be delayed by parallel legal proceedings. Philippine officials have not announced a timetable for the hearings, and the US regime has not indicated how quickly it expects the process to move. The outcome will be watched closely by legal observers, religious groups and victims’ advocates.
Source: www.aljazeera.com