The cases he faces in the Philippines should be settled first.
This is the argument pushed by the camp of religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy for the Marcos Jr. administration to deny the extradition request from the US.
The US has officially requested the extradition of Quiboloy, Philippine ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez told local media last week.
He also said that the extradition documents has already been sent to the Department of Justice.
Over the weekend, however, DOJ officials said there had been “no information” yet on the US request.
The controversial pastor, who served as former president Rodrigo Duterte’s spiritual advisor, has cases pending in both the US and the Philippines.
He was arrested in September, last year, after a two-week manhunt when he refused to attend the criminal cases in local courts.
Quiboloy is facing a human trafficking case at the Pasig City court, as well as a separate case of sexual abuse of a minor in a Quezon City court.
In the US, he has been on the Federal Bureau of investigation’s most wanted list since 2021 after he was charged with sex trafficking.
He is presently detained in the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology after his request for house arrest was denied.
Lawyers for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder point to local rules which do not allow the extradition of people who have pending cases in the Philippines.
According to Justice department spokesman and assistant secretary Mico Clavano, “In general, a person cannot be extradited from the Philippines while a criminal case against him is still pending in our courts, since local jurisdiction takes priority. The rule is that he must first face trial and, if convicted, serve his sentence here before extradition may proceed.”
He added, however, that courts retain the power to act on cases with urgency, “so if circumstances warrant, we may move to resolve proceedings in order not to unduly delay a valid extradition request.”
After his arrest last year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the religious leader had to face his local cases first before any talks on his US extradition could be entertained.
Among Quiboloy’s conditions in his previous surrender negotiations was to remain in the country but Marcos Jr. said the government rejected this condition.
Two lawmakers said the Philippines has clear legal basis to temporarily surrender Quiboloy to the United States under the PH-US Extradition Treaty.
Citing Article 11 of the treaty, which allows a person facing prosecution or serving a sentence in the country to be surrendered for trial abroad, then returned once proceedings are concluded, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña, said it would be best to have Quiboloy taken to the US to face charges, where he is in no position to intimidate witnesses and avoid accountability.
The senator also said Quiboloy’s alleged victims in the US have waited too long for justice.
It should be noted that several leaders of Quiboloy’s cult have been found guilty by a US court and are now serving time in a California prison.
The US had formally requested Quiboloy’s extradition earlier this year in connection with a 2021 indictment filed in California, which includes charges of sex trafficking of minors, fraud, and bulk cash smuggling.
Cendaña, urged the DOJ to act quickly on the extradition request.
“By every account, Quiboloy is a pedophile who weaponized his authority to prey on the vulnerable,” the congressman said, “The US indictments echo these accounts and together present a chilling portrait of how he twisted faith and power to commit unspeakable crimes.”
