Human trafficking charges in Hawaii are part of the case against arrested pastor of a Philippine megachurch

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Filipino televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, who is accused of human trafficking and sexual abuse in Hawaii and other places, was arrested in the Philippines this weekend after a two-week standoff between authorities and his followers.

Although the FBI had considered arresting Quiboloy in Hawaii years ago, his arrest in Davao turned into one of the most dramatic law enforcement dramas in the Philippines.

Two weeks ago, thousands of Philippine police and military personnel encountered a human blockade of Quiboloy supporters as they tried to arrest him at the vast compound of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Quiboloy and several helpers finally surrendered early Sunday.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paid tribute to Quiloboy and law enforcement authorities.

“To his credit, he still showed a minimum level of leadership towards his supporters,” Marcos said. “I would like to stress that this was a – as we say – very complex police operation.”

Quiboloy was a close friend of former President Rodrigo Dutarte, and Quiboloy was critical of Marcos.

Hawaiian lawyer Mike Green is part of the church’s American legal team.

“He mentored and pastored over 3 million people in nearly 200 cities and countries around the world. I saw the work he did. I saw the Children's Joy Foundation. This is terrible retribution for what I believe is political vendetta,” Green said.

The church brought young girls to Hawaii and Los Angeles as religious assistants to raise money by selling doughnuts and other baked goods.

In Hawaii, a young woman escaped from a church compound in 2015, claiming she was abducted, beaten and forced to have sex with Quiboloy and other women and girls. She said church leaders retaliated by accusing her of sexually abusing a minor. Honolulu prosecutors pursued the case for four years before finally dropping it in 2019.

Attorney Victor Bakke represented her in the early years of the case.

“Everything she said sounded like a cult she had escaped from,” Bakke said. “They had shaved her head and put her in a concentration camp – or they called it a re-education camp.”

In 2018, after the FBI investigated human trafficking allegations, Quiboloy and his private jet were seized at the airport. On board was the head of his Hawaii operations, Felina Salinas, who was accused of trying to smuggle $300,000 in cash to the Philippines for Quiboloy.

After an investigation, the charges were reduced. Salinas served 30 days in jail and Quiboloy flew home on a commercial flight, leaving the private plane behind.

Bakke said he was convinced that Salinas took the blame for Quiboloy's death to enable him to escape.

“I spoke to the agents in charge of my case and they were extremely dismayed to find out that Quiboloy's plane was detained here and he was not taken into custody.”

Following raids on church properties in 2020, the FBI in 2021 filed charges against Quiboloy and church leaders and members, including Salinas, who the FBI said played a key role in human trafficking, controlling and arranging sexual partners for the pastor.

Quiboloy's arrest is awaited in this case, but it is not clear whether the Philippines or the U.S. FBI will file charges first.

Salinas and other accused church members have been released on bail.

Quiboloy has repeatedly and forcefully denied the allegations, including prompting a prosecutor in the Philippines to charge Hawaii News Now employees with criminal defamation.

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