Sawt Falasteen - Pastor sought by US pleads not guilty in Philippine sex trafficking case

Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed "Appointed Son of God" and ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, surrendered last Sunday two weeks into a police search of his sect's sprawling compound in Davao City.

"Stand firm," the handcuffed preacher said to followers as police ushered him into the courtroom.

Aged at least 74, he wore a black face mask, dark sunglasses, and a bullet-proof vest and helmet over an orange prison shirt.

Quiboloy faces life in prison in the Philippines if found guilty of human trafficking in a case involving the alleged use of women and child sect members to sell goods and raise funds for his church.

A US grand jury has separately indicted Quiboloy for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.

The 2021 US indictment alleges women were recruited as personal assistants for Quiboloy to prepare his meals, clean his residence, give him massages, and have sex with him.

Quiboloy's lawyer Israelito Torreon said he pleaded "not guilty" at the brief Manila court hearing, from which journalists were barred .

Four other detained sect members also pleaded not guilty.

Quiboloy and the others also pleaded not guilty via video conference on separate child abuse and sex abuse charges in a separate Manila court later Friday, his lawyer said.

Following his arrest in Davao, police said more victims, including girls as young as 12, have come forward to allege sex crimes committed against them by the pastor.

The young victims were told they were having sex with the "Spirit of God", and were threatened not to tell anyone on pain of being hunted down by "angels of death", Philippine police spokeswoman Colonel Jean Fajardo told reporters on Thursday.

Quiboloy's Kingdom of Christ Church said on its website that members have "freedom of choice" and thus "anything that happens to you... is your own voluntary will or choice".

The powerful sect claims millions of followers in the mainly Catholic Asian nation and owns a television network.

Women and children advocate Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a statement Friday that Quiboloy must be held accountable.

"He and his co-accused have caused unspeakable pain to women, children, and the most vulnerable," she said.

President Ferdinand Marcos said Monday the government was not yet looking to extradite the pastor to the United States, because "we are focusing on the cases filed in the Philippines".

A.Suleiman--SF-PST