Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday said it was “about time” for Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy to be extradited to the United States, where he faces charges including child sex trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and other offenses.

The United States formally requested his transfer to face criminal charges.

“It’s about time for Apollo Quiboloy to be extradited to the United States of America,” Hontiveros said.

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

The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, said she was "relieved" that multiple jurisdictions are seeking to hold Quiboloy accountable for alleged crimes against women and children.

“As Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, which heard the heartbreaking testimonies of the women Quiboloy preyed upon, I am relieved that not one but two jurisdictions want to hold him to account for his crimes against women and girls,” she said.

Hontiveros also called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to act swiftly on the extradition request submitted by the US government through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in July.

“The Department of Justice must act with dispatch to clear the road toward extradition. Panahon na para papanatag ang buhay ng mga biktima,” she said.

“Wala na siyang dapat matirang kahit katiting na impluwensya dito sa Pilipinas. His continued presence in this country still emboldens his followers to harass the very survivors who found the courage to speak against him,” Hontiveros said.

Quiboloy, a close ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested in Davao City in September 2024 after months of evading authorities.

He and four others surrendered following a large-scale police operation at the 30-hectare KOJC compound, which houses facilities including a cathedral, stadium, hangar, and a taxiway connected to Davao International Airport.

He has remained in detention since his arrest.

In 2021, US federal prosecutors indicted Quiboloy for allegedly trafficking women and underage girls, who prosecutors said were subjected to threats of abuse and “eternal damnation” if they refused to comply with his demands.