The Buzz | Philippines to extradite priest accused of molesting US boys

The Philippine government is preparing to extradite to the United States a recently arrested Filipino Catholic priest who faces charges of sexually molesting two boys in North Dakota churches in the 1990s, an official said yesterday.

The State Counsel said Fernando Laude Sayasaya was arrested over the weekend by police in Calamba city in Laguna province south of Manila and will be flown back to the U.S., which sought his extradition under a treaty.

“The apprehension of Fernando Sayasaya once again shows that the long arm of the law would reach all criminals,” the authorities said. “The suppression of crime is the concern not only of the state where it is committed but in any other state where the criminal may have escaped.” The priest was charged in a North Dakota court over alleged sexual advances toward two underage siblings from 1995 to 1998.

Categories Asia-Pacific