MANILA - Philippine celebrity pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God”, pleaded not guilty on Sept 13 to a charge of sex trafficking, his lawyer said.

“He is innocent,” lawyer Israelito Torreon told reporters after an arraignment in Manila. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for October, Mr Torreon said.

Quiboloy is also due to enter his plea later on Sept 13 to charges of child abuse before another court.

“It is our firm belief that the truth regarding the alleged criminal acts of Apollo C. Quiboloy and his co-accused will ultimately be disclosed,” Ms Joahna Paula Domingo, a co-counsel of the alleged victim, said in a statement released ahead of the morning arraignment.

“It is worthy to note that these cases have been filed in 2019 and we have long been seeking justice for the complainant since then,” she said.

Quiboloy and four other co-accused arrived in a police minibus around 45 minutes before his scheduled arraignment. Handcuffed and in an orange detainee shirt, the preacher was almost unrecognisable underneath a bulletproof helmet and vest.

Quiboloy, who is facing a raft of charges in the Philippines and the United States including sex trafficking, money laundering and child abuse, was arrested on Sept 8 after a weeks-long search of his church's sprawling 30 ha compound by more than 2,000 security personnel.

When asked by a reporter as he arrived at court what his message to followers was, he said “tatag lang, tatag lang”, Filipino words for “stay strong, stay strong”.

Quiboloy is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, where church leaders hold heavy sway in politics. He is a long-time friend of former president Rodrigo Duterte. REUTERS