US 'very eager' for Philippines to resolve Quiboloy extradition request - Ambassador Romualdez

United States authorities are “very eager” for the Philippines to resolve its request to extradite Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said Friday.

Romualdez said the decision is now in the hands of Philippine authorities after the Department of Foreign Affairs transmitted the formal request to the Department of Justice.

“The US, of course, is very eager to find out how quickly all of these will be resolved,” Romualdez told reporters on the sidelines of the Manila Overseas Press Club Judiciary Night in Makati.

Quiboloy was arrested in September 2024 on charges of violation of the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act. He remains detained at the Pasig City Jail under the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

He is also facing a non-bailable qualified human trafficking charge before a Pasig court.

Quiboloy is also on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list after being charged in the US with sex trafficking.

“It’s only natural that the US would like to see his extradition take place, and we have to remember this is a transnational crime…I would think we have to consider the pros and cons of this extradition because we have international agreements,” said Romualdez.

He added that Philippine authorities would have to be “careful on how we handle this.”

Romualdez, however, acknowledged that the law states that “cases pending locally will have to take precedence over any extradition.”

‘Everything will be weighed’

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the department will now evaluate the extradition bid following its formal transmittal from the DFA.

“We will take all facts into consideration...so everything will be weighed. All factors will be weighed,” he told reporters.

“We will evaluate. We will fact-check everything, and we will validate based on the existing treaty we have with the United States, which is the existing extradition treaty...As soon as possible, as soon as we have finished our evaluation, we will come up with the decision, and we will inform the public on the action of the DOJ.”

Vida said the DOJ will take into consideration the pending local cases against Quiboloy, previous Supreme Court decisions, and the provisions of the extradition treaty, among others.

Asked how soon the department will likely decide on the extradition request, Vida said: “We will give it its due prioritization considering the various work of the DOJ.”

Under Article 11 of the extradition treaty between the Philippines and the US, there are two options in dealing with an extradition bid for an individual facing charges both in the requesting and requested state:

1. The requested state may temporarily surrender the person sought to the requesting state for the purpose of prosecution. The person so surrendered shall be kept in custody in the Requesting State and shall be returned to the Requested State after the conclusion of the proceedings against that person.

2. The requested state may postpone the extradition proceedings against a person who is being prosecuted or who is serving a sentence in that State. The postponement may continue until the prosecution of the person sought has been concluded or until such person has served any sentence imposed.

—VBL, GMA News