JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday said the Philippine government will honor its extradition treaty with the United States even as he said that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to get any request for the turn-over of televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
“We have an extradition treaty, and we will have to abide by the terms and conditions of our agreements,” Remulla said in an interview with reporters.
However, he said the US government has yet to coordinate with the Philippines with regards the extradition of the pastor.
“Wala pa, wala pang request for extradition. Hindi naman ito mabilis. Marami pang mangyayari dito (There is no extradition request yet. This is not a quick process. The procedure will take a while). They still have to file the necessary cases,” Remulla said, referring to the US State Department.
“Inuna lang yata nila itong freezing of the assets (They prioritized the freezing of his assets). So, wait and see lang tayo (So, let’s wait and see),” he also said.
Quiboloy was included in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list this February for fraud, coercion, sex trafficking and other cases.
Over the weekend, the US Treasury Department announced in a statement that it has sanctioned Quiboloy over alleged corruption and human rights abuses under the Magnitsky Act, such as engaging in “serious human rights abuses, including a pattern of systemic and pervasive rape of minors as young as 11 years old, and other physical abuse.”
Aside from freezing his US-based assets, if there is any, Quiboloy is also prohibited from entering the US and accepting donations for his benefit.
The Treasury Department sanctions are different from the criminal cases that landed Quiboloy in the FBI’s most wanted list, but both are based on the same allegations.
Remulla said the DOJ has yet to receive information from the US Treasury Department on the sanctions imposed on Quiboloy.
“Wala pa kaming details, wala pa (We don’t have the details yet). We’re waiting by the sidelines kung anong magiging aksyon nila (for whatever their actions will be),” Remulla told reporters in an ambush interview Monday.
“We are looking for the cases to be filed. We are waiting for things to happen,” he added.
On Sunday, DOJ spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano said the department is still gathering information and seeking advice from US legal experts on what its next step would be in relation to the cases of Quiboloy.
Quiboloy was also indicted in 2020 for rape, trafficking in persons through sexual abuse, physical abuse, and child abuse, but the Davao City Prosecutors Office junked the cases.
A petition for review is currently pending before the DOJ.
Remulla said his office has yet to see the appeal. “Hindi ko pa nakikita kung merong petition for review (I haven’t seen such petition for review),” he said.
Quiboloy’s lawyers have already downplayed the allegations against him, saying it was baseless and that the US government violated his right to due process when the press release from the US Treasury Department made it appear that he was already guilty.
Apart from being a spiritual adviser and a close friend of former President Rodrigo Duterte, Quiboloy also endorsed the tandem of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte in the May elections.
