Malacañang has made it clear that it will not meddle in the internal affairs of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), which is recently rocked by controversy after it expelled several members, including the mother and siblings of its executive minister Eduardo V. Manalo.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte on Saturday said the government had been involved only because of the claims of abduction and harassment in the organization.
“Remember that the state is only concerned with any possibility that a crime may have been committed, pero doon po sa mga ibang pinag-uusapan ay hindi na po kasali ang estado doon (but when it comes to other issues, the state is not involved),” she said over Radyo ng Bayan.
She said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima had already dispatched a team from the National Bureau of Investigation to “verify allegations.”
Declining further comment on the issue, Valte instead urged the public to wait for the results of the investigation.
While Malacañang had been monitoring the news about the supposed infighting and split among the Manalo family, she also said President Benigno Aquino III had other matters to attend to.
INC, whose members were said to practice bloc voting, endorsed Aquino and now Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who ran for vice president, in the 2010 elections.
The INC leadership under Manalo has been accused of abducting ministers who are vocal against alleged corruption in the organization.
READ: ‘Deep Throat’ shakes up Iglesia Ni Cristo
Manalo’s brother Angel and mother Tenny have issued a plea of help through Youtube, claiming lives were in danger.
However, Angel later surfaced and police said there was no hostage-taking or abduction.
READ: INC: No hostage and no abduction
But one of the ministers who was missing was found at a local jail in Cavite. Police said he was arrested for supposedly threatening construction workers with a grenade.
READ: Go figure: Cops escort Bicol minister who ends up in Cavite jail for carrying grenade