The preacher who called himself the “appointed son of God” is a step closer to a US courtroom, five days before Trump lands in Manila

A Philippine court has ordered the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, the self-described “appointed son of God”, on an American request to extradite him to face sex trafficking charges in California.

Judge Karen Matti Sy of the Makati Regional Trial Court, Branch 145, issued the arrest warrant and a hold departure order on Thursday 12 November, the Department of Justice announced. Justice Department spokesman Polo Martinez confirmed the orders on Saturday.

The court found probable cause that Quiboloy is the man named in the US arrest warrant and indictment, that the charges are extraditable offences, and that he committed the offences alleged. The Justice Department stressed that the finding is a step in the extradition process, not a ruling on guilt or innocence.

The same orders were issued against Teresita Dandan and Helen Panilag, two officers of Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ church who are named alongside him in the American case. The Justice Department says both remain at large.

What is he accused of in the United States?

A federal grand jury in California indicted the three in 2021. The charges include conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, international human trafficking and bulk cash smuggling. US prosecutors have described Dandan as the “international administrator” of a fake charity operation and Panilag as a former senior church administrator in the US.

Quiboloy has pleaded not guilty to the charges he faces at home, denies every allegation and says the cases against him are politically motivated.

Why does the timing matter?

Washington formally asked for Quiboloy’s extradition in August. The Justice Department filed its petition on Monday 9 November, the court ruled three days later, and the news broke as Manila prepares to host Trump for the ASEAN summit on 17 November.

Asked whether the warrant was linked to the visit, Presidential Palace press officer Claire Castro said: “No, it was probably just a coincidence.”

At home, Quiboloy is a political figure as well as a religious one. He is a close ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte. His church claims millions of followers and owns a television network, and last year Quiboloy ran for the Senate from his prison cell and won about 5.6 million votes, not enough for a seat.

Will he actually be sent to America?

Not quickly. Under Philippine extradition law the court must now hold hearings before deciding whether to surrender him. Once the court is told the warrants have been served, the three will be given summons and a copy of the petition, and they will have 15 days to respond.

There is also the question of order. Quiboloy is on trial in Pasig City for qualified human trafficking, which carries life imprisonment if he is convicted, and faces a separate child and sexual abuse trial in Quezon City. Philippine courts and the government will have to settle whether those cases finish before any transfer.

How did it come to this?

Quiboloy was arrested in the Philippines in 2024, three years after the American indictment. At the time, police said alleged victims had been told they were having sex with the “spirit of God” and threatened with “angels of death” if they spoke out. The church said then that its members had “freedom of choice”.

Is there an Australian angle?

The decision lands as Australia deepens its own security ties with Manila: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due in the Philippine capital on Sunday for the signing of a new defence cooperation agreement. The Quiboloy case will be running in the background of a week in which Manila hosts both Albanese and Trump.