A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy, moving a step closer to his possible extradition to the United States on child sex trafficking charges. The Makati Regional Trial Court issued the warrant on Thursday after finding probable cause, the Justice Department said.
The Makati Regional Trial Court issued the warrant of arrest and a hold-departure order on Thursday, Justice Department spokesman Polo Martinez told AFP. The court found probable cause that Quiboloy committed the offences charged in the US. The Philippine government had filed its extradition petition on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested his extradition in August. Under Philippine law, the court must now hold hearings before deciding whether to hand him over.
The court also ordered the arrest of two co-accused: Teresita Dandan, whom the FBI identified as the “international administrator” of a fake charity operation, and Helen Panilag, a former top church administrator in the US, according to local media reports. Both remain at large, according to local media reports.
Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God”, is being held without bail while on trial for human trafficking in Pasig, which carries a life sentence if convicted, and faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the Philippine charges. He is a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte and ran for Senate from prison last year, receiving 5.6 million votes but losing. His Kingdom of Jesus Christ sect claims millions of followers and owns a television network.
A US grand jury indicted Quiboloy in 2021 on charges including 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 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”.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro denied that the warrant was timed to coincide with US President Donald Trump's visit to Manila on 17 November for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. "No, it was probably just a coincidence," she said, according to the Philippines News Agency.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The case could send a prominent religious figure to face US justice on child sex trafficking charges.
- It tests the Philippines' extradition process and cooperation with the US.
- The allegations involve systematic abuse and coercion, with victims said to have been manipulated.
Background
Apollo Quiboloy is the leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, which claims millions of followers and operates a television network. He is a close ally of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Quiboloy is currently on trial for human trafficking and child abuse in the Philippines, charges he denies. He also ran for Senate from prison last year, receiving 5.6 million votes but losing. The US indicted him in 2021 for sex trafficking and related offences.
Key Perspectives
Apollo Quiboloy: denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to Philippine charges.
Kingdom of Jesus Christ: said at the time of his 2024 arrest that members had "freedom of choice".
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro: denied the warrant was timed to coincide with President Trump's upcoming visit, calling the timing a coincidence.
What to Watch
- The extradition hearings will determine whether the court approves the handover.
- The outcome of Quiboloy's ongoing human trafficking and child abuse trials in the Philippines.
- The US will seek extradition of the two co-accused if they are arrested.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedClaire Castro said, “No, it was probably just a coincidence,” denying that the warrant was timed to coincide with Trump’s visit.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, speaking on behalf of the Office of the President, 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,” she said, according to the Philippines News Agency.”
- SupportedPolice said alleged victims were told they were having sex with the “spirit of God” and threatened with “angels of death” if they told anyone.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “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.”
- SupportedThe church said members had “freedom of choice”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The church said at the time that members had “freedom of choice”.”
- SupportedQuiboloy calls himself the “appointed son of God”.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God”, is being held without bail while on trial for human trafficking in Pasig”
- SupportedThe FBI identified Dandan as the “international administrator” of a fake charity operation; Panilag was described as a former top church administrator in the US.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “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.”
- SupportedA Philippine court ordered the arrest of jailed Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted in the US on child sex trafficking charges.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy , who is wanted in the US on child sex trafficking charges”
- SupportedThe arrest order moves Quiboloy a step closer to possible extradition to the US.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “in a step towards his possible extradition, according to the country’s Justice Department.”
- SupportedThe court issued a warrant and hold-departure order on Thursday after finding probable cause, according to Justice Department spokesman Polo Martinez.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The department’s 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 on Thursday after finding probable cause that he committed the offences charged.”
- SupportedThe government filed its extradition petition on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested extradition in August.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The Philippine government filed its petition with a lower court on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested his extradition in August.”
- SupportedThe court must hold hearings before deciding whether to hand Quiboloy over.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Under Philippine law, the court must now hold hearings before deciding whether or not to hand him over.”
- SupportedThe court issued the same orders against co-accused Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, and both women remain at large.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The court issued the same orders against two co-accused, Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, both officers of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) sect. The two women are still at large, according to local media reports.”
- SupportedQuiboloy ran for Senate from prison last year, received 5.6 million votes and lost.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “He ran for Senate last year from prison and received 5.6 million votes, but lost, AFP reported.”