The Philippines announced the arrest on Sunday of a Philippines Paedophile pastor, Apollo Quiboloy, sought by the United States for child sex trafficking, following a two-week extensive police manhunt for the self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God”.
Apollo Quiboloy, closely associated with former president Rodrigo Duterte, founded the Philippines-based Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) church, which asserts millions of adherents.
In 2021, Apollo Quiboloy was indicted by the US Justice Department for sex trafficking girls and women aged 12 to 25, compelling them to serve as personal assistants, or “pastorals,” who were purportedly obligated to engage in sexual acts with him.
Apollo Quiboloy and four other sect members were apprehended at the church’s property in Davao City after negotiations between his representatives and law enforcement, as reported by Philippine police spokeswoman Colonel Jean Fajardo.
“This afternoon, they negotiated their peaceful surrender after we gave them a 24-hour ultimatum,” Fajardo said.
Four hours later, Apollo Quiboloy and the four sect members were flown by military aircraft to Manila, where they will be detained to stand trial for “child abuse, sexual abuse and qualified (human) trafficking”, Fajardo added.
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos announced Apollo Quiboloy’s arrest on his official Facebook page earlier Sunday.
US authorities also seek Apollo Quiboloy for bulk cash smuggling and a scheme that brought church members to the United States using fraudulently obtained visas.
They were then forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, raising funds that were instead used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders, according to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to the FBI, It is unknown if the United States has sought the extradition of Apollo Quiboloy, aged at least 74.
A US embassy spokesman referred media queries to the Philippine authorities.
“This is a concerted effort of everyone involved,” Brigadier-General Nicolas Torre, the regional police chief who led the manhunt, told reporters at a news conference confirming Apollo Quiboloy’s arrest.
During his months-long flight from justice, Apollo Quiboloy demanded a written guarantee from Manila that he would not be subject to “extraordinary rendition” as a condition for his surrender.
The term refers to a US government practice of sending detained suspected members of terror organisations to another country for imprisonment and interrogation.
Some 2,000 police were deployed at the KOJC headquarters in Davao on August 24 to serve an arrest warrant against Apollo Quiboloy.
Duterte and his daughter — incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte, who has had a falling out with President Ferdinand Marcos — had publicly criticised the police search inside the sect’s 30-hectare (70-acre) property.
The vice president condemned “the gross abuse of police power in the takeover of the KOJC compound” and apologised to sect members for having asked them to elect Marcos to the presidency, saying, “You deserve better”.
Minutes after Apollo Quiboloy’s arrest was announced, SMNI, a Philippine television station run by his sect, posted on its Facebook page pictures of members embracing uniformed police officers.
“After all the pains and struggles, it is evident that the KOJC missionaries have embraced Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s teaching to love not only their neighbours but even their enemies,” it said in a message accompanying the photos.
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