PH prosecutors to use plea deal of KOJC member vs. Quiboloy

MANILA — The Department of Justice said the plea deal entered into by Kingdom of Jesus Christ member Marissa Duenas in the United States will be used in the trafficking case of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy in the Philippines.

According to court records in the US, Duenas admitted that from 2015 to 2020, there was an agreement between her and others to commit marriage fraud. 

Co-defendant in Quiboloy KOJC trafficking case admits marriage fraud scheme

“Unless that is introduced here in our judicial system, it cannot have an official effect, pero dahil nandyan na yan nasa media na iyan siyempre gagamitin na iyan ng ating mga prosecutor, dahil alam nila na inadmit na po ng isang co-respondent ni Quiboloy sa ibang jurisdiction, I’m sure they will attempt also to do the same here,” Clavano said.

Clavano also criticized Quiboloy’s recent filing of certificate of candidacy for senator amid his ongoing criminal cases in the US and the Philippines.

"Isa yung parang challenge sa ating gobyerno at sa gobyerno ng USA na mag-file na ng extradition dahil hindi naman po pwedeng maging senador ang isang accused ng human trafficking especially when there is substantial evidence already to the effect na ganyan talaga ang ginagawa niya, so if anything, it just expedited the extradition,” Clavano said.

Clavano clarified that there is no extradition request yet from the US government.

“Wala pa naman, but itong pag-file niya ng certificate of candidacy for Senate is a dare to the government to do something fast, kasi if the time comes at sakaling mahalal siya bilang isang senador, then he will have some sort of protection already, but what we want is for him to face the charges first, not to make a mockery of the election system, not to make a mockery of democracy,” Clavano said.

Quiboloy, the Davao-based preacher who founded the KOJC, is currently detained on trafficking charges in the Philippines. He recently filed a certificate of candidacy for the 2025 senatorial election.