The United States has formally requested the extradition of detained Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy to face federal charges, but the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday said it has yet to officially receive the request through the channels prescribed under the Philippines-United States Extradition Treaty.

DoJ spokesperson Polo Martinez clarified reports quoting Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez as saying Washington had transmitted a formal extradition request to the DoJ.

Martinez said no official document had reached the department, explaining that the request must first pass through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which determines whether it complies with the RP-US Extradition Treaty and Philippine law before forwarding it to the DoJ for appropriate court action.

The DoJ’s explanation is consistent with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s position during a 9 September 2024 media interview, when he said the government would prioritize Quiboloy’s pending criminal cases in the Philippines over any extradition request from the United States.

“For the moment, we are not looking at extradition. We are focusing on the cases filed in the Philippines,” Marcos said, adding that Quiboloy must first undergo the local judicial process after authorities enforced the court-issued arrest warrant.

Martinez said that once the DoJ receives a compliant request, it will file the appropriate petition before a Philippine court, which will ultimately determine whether the legal requirements for extradition have been met.

He added that Article 11 of the RP-US Extradition Treaty gives the Philippine government two options when a person sought for extradition is facing local criminal charges: defer the surrender until domestic proceedings are completed, subject to applicable rules, or temporarily surrender the accused to the United States under conditions agreed upon by both governments.

Federal indictment

Romualdez claimed the extradition request had been transmitted through diplomatic channels.

Quiboloy has been detained in Manila since his arrest in September 2024 and is facing qualified human trafficking, child abuse, and related charges before Philippine courts.

He has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the cases against him are politically and religiously motivated.

In the United States, Quiboloy was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2021 on charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.

Federal prosecutors alleged that girls and young women were recruited as personal assistants and coerced into sexual acts.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who chaired the Senate committee that investigated alleged human trafficking and sexual abuse within Quiboloy’s religious organization, urged the DoJ to act with dispatch once the extradition request reaches the proper authorities.

“He trafficked women and girls from around the world. Justice demands that he answer for these crimes in the very places he committed them,” Hontiveros said.

Quiboloy, who was allowed to run for senator while detained during the 2025 midterm elections, remains in government custody pending the resolution of the criminal cases filed against him in Philippine courts.