Palace: No deal with Iglesia ni Cristo

By AMITA O. LEGASPI, GMA News

Published August 31, 2015 5:19pm

There was no horse-trading between the government and the Iglesia ni Cristo that prompted the religious group to disperse its massive demonstration that crippled a huge portion of EDSA over the weekend, a government spokesperson claimed on Monday.

"There was no deal struck, as some insinuate. The talks gave both sides an opportunity to clarify issues and concerns," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a text message to reporters.

Malacañang issued the statement after the camp of expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister Isaias Samson Jr. called on the administration to be transparent on whatever agreement it reached with the religious group's leaders in the course of their meetings over the past few days.

It was Samson's complaints for illegal detention against some Iglesia ni Cristo leaders that triggered the sect's protests last Thursday.

The religious group accused Justice Secretary Leila De Lima of giving Samson's allegations special attention and cried that its rights as a church were being violated.

Sect members went on an overnight vigil in front of the Department of Justice's office in Manila and moved to EDSA on Friday. The group's number grew as much as 20,000 on Sunday night.

The group starteed the protest after former minister Isaias Samson Jr. filed a criminal complaint against their officials for the alleged harassment and illegal detention of him and his family.

The protesters also called for Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's resignation for allegedly meddling with the Iglesia ni Cristo's internal affairs.

Valte would not elaborate on the meetings with the politically influential sect, reputed to have the capability to make or break a candidate's chances of winning an election with its millions of members voting as a block.

‘Case not a political pawn’

Samson's legal counsels, Trixie Cruz-Angeles and Ahmed Paglinawan, feared that the case might be dismissed as a result of the negotiations between the Iglesia ni Cristo and the government.

"Tell us whether or not you've sold our client down the river... you need to disclose this to us. A criminal case is not a political pawn," the lawyers wrote.

The lawyers also asked the government to "guarantee our client a fair hearing at preliminary investigation."

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda earlier said that the Iglesia ni Cristo assembly ended peacefully "through goodwill and the convergence of efforts, the rule of law has been upheld.”

“Diplomacy therefore was an important tool in avoiding unintended consequences," he said, without mentioning details of the meeting.

Bienvenido Santiago, general evangelist of the Iglesia ni Cristo, announced that they were ending the protest action on Monday morning after a meeting with the government.

"Nagkausap na po ang panig ng Iglesia ni Cristo at panig ng pamahalaan at sa pag-uusap na ito ay nagkapaliwanagan na po ang magkabilang panig," Santiago in a recorded message aired over radio dzBB.

"Kaya payapa na po ang lahat. Itong isinasagawa nating mapayapang pagtitipion ay natatapos na po nang mapayapa rin ngayon pong Lunes ng umaga."

Happy it's over

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the public should just be glad that the mass action has ended.

"Let's just be happy that it's now ok," he said in a text message.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez III said that just like other motorists in Metro Manila, he is glad that the rally staged by Iglesia ni Cristo members ended peacefully.

Gutierrez said that speculation on what prompted the Iglesia ni Cristo to end its protest was expected. He, however, added that the Department of Justice has been clear it intended to continue looking into the illegal detention and harassment complaint filed Samson.

"I think the government has made its position very clear from the onset of the assemblies — that the DOJ will continue to perform its legal duty to investigate crimes and uphold the rule of law — even as it respects the rights of citizens to express their opinions through speech and assembly," Gutierrez said.

Palace should release terms

But former Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello called on the government to provide more details on how it convinced the Iglesia to leave EDSA.

"The Palace should release the terms of the agreement [it has with Iglesia ni Cristo] as soon as possible to dispel the widespread suspicion that it was blackmailed into a disadvantageous agreement by the INC," he said.

Bello, who resigned from Congress last March due to differences in opinion with Aquino, said Malacañang should also give the assurance that the DOJ will not be dropping the investigation into Samson's complaint.

The former lawmaker pointed out over the weekend that "the government, always quick to act against the Left, has the authority to peacefully clear EDSA but it declines to exercise that authority, citing 'respect for the right to protest.'"

He said that the government should have made "the welfare of the majority" a priority. — ALG/NB/JST, GMA News

Tags: iglesianicristo