DFA Confirms Receipt of US Extradition Request for Pastor Quiboloy

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has received the United States Government's request for the extradition of religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering in the country. Quiboloy has been on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list. In a statement, the DFA spokesperson Analyn Ratonel said that the agency “has received the United States Government's request for the extradition of Apollo Quiboloy.” “The DFA has endorsed the request to the Department of Justice,” she added. US prosecutors in November 2021 announced sex-trafficking charges, alleging that girls and women were coerced to have sex with Quiboloy, the founder of the religious group Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), and other church officials, including two US-based church administrators. The 2021 US indictment claims that victims were between the ages of 12 and 25 and recruited as personal assistants for Quiboloy to prepare his meals, clean his residence, and give him massages, aside from engaging in sex. Quiboloy was arrested after a massive manhunt in September 2024 on charges of violation of Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. He is also facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208, as amended, before a Pasig court. Quiboloy, who pleaded not guilty shortly after his August 2024 arrest, is currently detained at the Pasig City Jail. The DOJ earlier stated that it has not formally received notice of the US' request. “Under the Philippine–U.S. Extradition Treaty and applicable law, the DFA would be the first point of contact for such a request,” DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said. This development highlights the legal accountability of religious figures within the Philippines and the complexities of international judicial cooperation. Quiboloy's case also sheds light on the current state of child protection and anti-trafficking measures in the Philippines, as well as the country's role in international legal proceedings.