Philippine president pledges no special treatment for celebrity pastor

Apollo Quiboloy’s lawyer says pastor surrendered, countering police accounts of arrest during raid on sprawling church compound.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has pledged that evangelist preacher Apollo Quiboloy will receive no special treatment following his arrest.

A weeks-long manhunt ended over the weekend when Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “son of god”, was arrested on charges of child and sexual abuse and allegations of human trafficking.

The preacher, a longtime ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte whose sect boasts of millions of followers, is also wanted in the United States on charges of sex trafficking and bulk cash smuggling.

“There is no special treatment,” Marcos told reporters on Monday. “We will not violate any of his rights and will not ignore any of his requests, whatever they are.

“We will demonstrate once again that our judicial system in the Philippines is active, vibrant and working,” the president added.

Quiboloy has rejected all charges against him but went into hiding after two courts issued arrest warrants against him in April.

He has also refused to appear before a Senate investigation into alleged abuses of his church.

After months hunting the pastor, the Marcos administration deployed more than 2,000 police to search his sprawling church compound in the southern Davao City, on suspicion that he was hiding there in a bunker.

Philippine police spokesman Jean Fajardo said on Sunday that Quiboloy was captured on Sunday inside the compound.

But Quiboloy’s lawyer, Israelito Torreon, disputed the government’s account, saying the pastor surrendered to the police and military because he did not want the situation to further escalate.

“The innocence of Quiboloy will be affirmed by the court,” Torreon told DZBB radio.

Marcos said Quiboloy’s camp had set conditions for his surrender, including a guarantee he would not be sent to the US to face charges.

But Marcos said that “putting conditions is not an option for someone who is a fugitive”.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies