Philippine Court Orders Arrest of Jailed Preacher Quiboloy in Step Toward Possible US Extradition

A court in the Philippines has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted in the United States on child sex trafficking charges, in a move toward his possible extradition, the country's Justice Department said.

Department spokesman Polo Martinez told the AFP news agency on Saturday that the Makati Regional Trial Court issued the warrant of arrest and a hold-departure order on Thursday after finding probable cause that Quiboloy committed the offences charged.

The Philippine government filed its petition with the lower court on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested the preacher's extradition in August. Under Philippine law, the court must now conduct hearings before deciding whether or not he will be handed over to US authorities.

The court issued the same orders against two co-accused, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, both officers of Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect. The two women are still at large, according to local media reports.

The presidential palace denied that the warrant was timed to coincide with US President Donald Trump's visit to Manila on November 17 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. "No, it was probably just a coincidence," Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on behalf of the Office of the President, according to the Philippines News Agency.

Quiboloy, who calls himself the "appointed son of God", is being held without bail while on trial for human trafficking in Pasig, a case that carries life in prison if he is convicted, AFP reported. He also faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City, according to local media, and has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the Philippine charges.

A US grand jury indicted Quiboloy in 2021 for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children and bulk cash smuggling, AFP reported. The FBI 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 reports.

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, AFP reported. The church said at the time that members had "freedom of choice".

Quiboloy's sect claims to have millions of followers and owns a television network. He is a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte and ran for the Senate last year from prison, receiving 5.6 million votes but losing the race, AFP reported.