Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday said the Philippines has legal grounds to temporarily surrender televangelist Apollo Quiboloy to the United States while ensuring accountability for local cases.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minority Leader and Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña urged the government to move quickly on reports of the US extradition request on Quiboloy, stressing that delays would deny justice to the victims.
Under the Philippines-United States Extradition Treaty Article 11, paragraph 1, a person facing charges domestically can still be sent abroad to face separate cases, she said.,
“Even if he has cases in the Philippines, he can still be sent to the United States to face those cases first, and after the trial, he will be returned to the Philippines to answer for the crimes here,” Hontiveros added.
The lawmaker noted Quiboloy’s alleged victims in the US have waited for justice for years, and further delays would deny them their right to be heard.
“In the Philippines, it is clear that he has tried to use his wealth and influence to avoid accountability. He, through his followers, has attempted to intimidate witnesses,” she said.
“Even during the Senate hearing, he set various conditions just to avoid appearing,” Hontiveros lamented.
Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima echoed Hontiveros’s position.
“The general rule is extradition if it falls under the extraditable offenses. Here, it is clear, there’s no issue. It is the Philippines’ option, being the requested state, to temporarily surrender or postpone the proceedings,” De Lima said in a radio interview.
She said the agreement will be between “the Executive through the Department of Justice, of course that should be with clearance from the Chief Executive as a matter of principle or as a matter of practice, and the US thru the State Department.”
According to Hontiveros, allowing a temporary surrender ensures that U.S. victims can pursue their cases without compromising Philippine legal proceedings.
The process also guarantees that Quiboloy will return to the Philippines to answer for any local allegations after facing charges abroad.
“If such an extradition request exists I strongly urge our government, especially the Department of Justice (DOJ), to immediately begin the process for the extradition of Quiboloy including requesting our local courts to immediately resolve the pending charges against him,” Cendaña said.
Quiboloy faces multiple charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse of minors.
“Quiboloy must be made to answer the serious charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and abuse of minors. These heinous crimes are not mere acts of misconduct — they expose the breadth of Quiboloy’s power and influence, which he continues to wield even today,” Cendaña added.
