US requests Filipino pastor's extradition on sex-trafficking charges

The United States has formally requested the extradition of Filipino pastor Apollo Quiboloy on sex-trafficking charges, the Philippines' foreign affairs department said Thursday. Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God" and founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, has been jailed in Manila since his August 2024 arrest on related human-trafficking charges.

Why does the US want Apollo Quiboloy extradited?

A US grand jury indicted Quiboloy in 2021 on charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling. Prosecutors allege he coerced girls and young women in his church to work as personal assistants who were also made to have sex with him.

What is Apollo Quiboloy accused of in the US indictment?

The 2021 indictment alleges that girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 were recruited as personal assistants tasked with preparing Quiboloy's meals, cleaning his residence, giving him massages, and having sex with him. He faces life in prison in the US if convicted.

Quiboloy has pleaded not guilty since his arrest and remains in a Manila jail. He is also on the FBI's most-wanted list over the case.

What did Philippine officials say about the extradition request?

"The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirms it 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," DFA spokeswoman Analyn Ratonel said. Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines' ambassador to Washington, separately confirmed that the request had reached the justice department. The US embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Philippine justice department spokesman said the department must now file the appropriate petition before a court. He added that it is ultimately the court that determines whether the legal requirements for extradition have been met.

Could Quiboloy be extradited immediately?

Not straightaway. Quiboloy also faces separate local charges of qualified human trafficking and child abuse in Philippine courts, and those proceedings are expected to take priority over the US request. President Ferdinand Marcos said in 2024 that the government was focused on the cases already filed in the Philippines rather than pursuing extradition.

How has Quiboloy's church responded to the allegations?

Quiboloy's Kingdom of Jesus Christ church has said its members act with "freedom of choice," meaning anything that happens to them is voluntary. Police said Quiboloy's alleged victims were told they were having sex with the "spirit of God" and were threatened with being hunted down by "angels of death" if they spoke out. The sect claims millions of followers in the mostly Catholic Philippines and owns its own television network.

Did Quiboloy's arrest stop his political career?

No. Quiboloy was allowed to run for a Senate seat in the Philippines' 2025 midterm elections despite being incarcerated at the time. He received 5,667,438 votes, though he was not elected.