Philippines arrest megachurch pastor wanted in US for sex trafficking

Quiboloy's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said in a statement carried by local newspaper Rappler that his client had “voluntarily” surrendered to the Philippine Armed Forces Intelligence Service.

Philippine National Police spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo told reporters in a press conference that Quiboloy, 74, was taken into police custody in Davao City at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday and then flown aboard a C-130 aircraft to Quezon City, where he is being held.

She said his surrender followed hours of negotiations during which authorities threatened to storm the building where he was hiding if he did not surrender voluntarily.

The Philippine National Police confirmed that he and four of his associates were arrested after a 24-hour ultimatum was issued at the Davaos complex of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name, of which Quiboloy is not only the founder but is also referred to as the appointed Son of God.

The arrest ended a months-long manhunt for the man after a court in Pasig City issued an arrest warrant against Quiboloy in connection with human trafficking in April.

The U.S. Department of Justice first charged Quiboloy in November 2021. He was accused of trafficking women and girls as young as 12 for his sexual pleasure.

According to the indictment, he and two others are accused of forcing young women and girls from the church to work as personal assistants – so-called “chaplains” – for Quiboloy, preparing his meals, cleaning his apartment and giving him massages.

The federal court document also states that the women and girls accompanied him on trips abroad, including to the United States, and had sex with him during “night shifts.”

Quiboloy had served as an adviser to former President Rodrigo Duterte.