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MANILA, Philippines – The embattled doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy has been charged with a non-bailable case of human trafficking at the Pasig City court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday, March 19.
The next step is for the Pasig court to determine if there is basis to issue a warrant of arrest against Quiboloy for qualified human trafficking under Section 4(a) of Republic Act No. 9208.
While Quiboloy can evade the summons of the Senate citing his constitutional right, he cannot evade a court warrant that requires strict compliance, otherwise he will be declared a fugitive. The Senate secured the numbers to issue its own arrest warrant earlier on Tuesday, which can be enforced; however, under their contempt powers, they can only detain a subject for as long as their inquiry lasts.
DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said the charges were filed in Pasig on Monday, March 18, and that separate charges for child abuse were filed at the Davao City court last week. Clavano said prosecutors recommended a P180,000 bail for the sexual assault against children case and an P80,000 bail for the maltreatment against children case, both under Republic Act No. 7610.
These were the complaints initially junked by prosecutors during the Rodrigo Duterte government but reversed through a petition for review as approved by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“This case underscores our commitment to hold accountable those who would harm our society’s most vulnerable. Let this serve as a reminder that no individual, regardless of their position, is above the law,” Remulla said in a statement Tuesday.
The sexual trafficking case against Quiboloy in California is also still ongoing, and the warrant against him by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has been unsealed.
If and when the US requests for extradition, the decision on whether to keep him here for his local cases or to send him to the US first would be for the government to decide.
Under the extradition treaty, if a person is being prosecuted in the Philippines, the government can decide to turn that person over to the US first and then finish prosecution there. Similarly, the Philippines can also decide to postpone the extradition to finish prosecution in the country first.
The Philippines, as the requested country, “has first dibs,” said former senator Leila De Lima, a lawyer and former justice secretary. “But Philippines may defer to [the United States],” she said.
The only thing that can stop extradition is if Quiboloy has been acquitted or convicted of the same exact case in the Philippines. – Rappler.com
2 comments
How does this make you feel?
I appreciate this action of our Department of Justice through Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla. But what about those prosecutors under the Duterte Government who initially junked these complaints? Will they not be held accountable? Any reply from the DOJ?
Original prosecutors need to be held accountable. Presidents need vetting to hold the highest office in the land.