Philippine court orders arrest of jailed, US-wanted celebrity preacher

A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of jailed celebrity preacher Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted in the US on child sex trafficking charges, in a step towards his possible extradition, according to the country’s Justice Department.

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.

The Philippine government filed its petition with a lower court on Monday, three months after Washington formally requested his extradition in August. Under Philippine law, the court must now hold hearings before deciding whether or not to hand him over.

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.

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.

Quiboloy, who calls himself the “appointed son of God”, is being held without bail while on trial for human trafficking in Pasig, which carries life in prison if convicted, AFP reported.

He also faces a child abuse trial in Quezon City, according to local media. He 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. He ran for Senate last year from prison and received 5.6 million votes, but lost, AFP reported.