Iglesia ni Cristo denies hand in alleged abduction of ministers

The Iglesia ni Cristo on Thursday denied that it has anything to do with the alleged abduction of some of its ministers. 

 

"Iyong lumabas sa YouTube kagabi na pahayag ni Angel Manalo at ng kanilang ina na nananawagan sa mga kaanib sa Iglesia para sila ay tulungan dahil diumano ay nanganganib ang kanilang buhay, at meron pang alegasyon na meron daw dinukot na mga ministro na wari'y ibig palabasin na may kinalaman din ang Iglesia ay wala pong katotohanan," Iglesia ni Cristo General Evangelist Bienvenido Santiago said in a press briefing earlier Thursday. 

 

Santiago was referring to the video of Cristina "Tenny" Manalo and Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo that started to circulate Wednesday night and prompted their expulsion from the church.

Tenny is Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo's mother and Angel is his younger brother. 

 

In the video, both Tenny and Angel asked for help and claimed their lives are in danger. The mother also claimed that some church ministers had been abducted. 

 

"Tulungan n'yo rin ang mga ministro na dinukot at hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa nakikita," she said. 

 

Blog site "Iglesia Ni Cristo - Silent No More", run by a certain "Antonio Ramirez Ebangelista" also claimed that nine ministers based in different provinces were allegedly abducted and expelled. 

 

Some of them were identified as Boyet Menorca of Sorsogon, Joven Sepillo of Tacloban, and Nolan Olarte of Cebu. 

Also on Thursday, people inside the Manalo house in Tandang Sora in Quezon City flashed messages that read: "Where are the missing ministers?"

 

Earlier Thursday, comedienne and activist Mae Paner also posted a Facebook that a minister who was allegedly kidnapped had been found in Cavite.  

 

A 2002 Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report on the Iglesia ni Cristo mentions a Lowell Menorca, a spokesman for the church. A Lowell Menorca II is listed on business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn as a programmer for INC-owned Net25.

 

GMA News' Saleema Refran reported that Menorca's lawyer Allen Blair Boy went to the Dasmariñas Police Station in Cavite at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

He said that Menorca, who is a volunteer minister in Sorsogon, was arrested because of illegal possession of an explosive. He was allegedly caught with a grenade on July 17.

It was not revealed why he was in Cavite.
 

Boy said that Menorca only asked for help from the church this week. — Trisha Macas/JDS, GMA News