INC head ready to die to save church

By: Gil C. Cabacungan - 9 years ago

The headquarters of the powerful Iglesia ni Cristo on Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City. Embattled executive minister Eduardo V. Manalo (inset) moved to reassure more than 2 million members of the indigenous sect by declaring he was willing to sacrifice his own life just to save the church that his grandfather had built. EDWIN BACASMAS/VIDEO GRAB FROM YOUTUBE

Embattled Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo V. Manalo moved to reassure more than 2 million members of the indigenous sect by declaring he was willing to sacrifice his own life just to save the church that his grandfather had built.

Manalo addressed the members at an INC church in Makati City on Sunday and the 90-minute speech was beamed worldwide from its Quezon City central office in what members called a “special gathering.”

In his speech, Manalo said: “Totoo iyang sinabi ng Biblia. Kahit buhay ibibigay alang-alang sa Iglesia. Gagawin po namin iyan (The Bible speaks the truth, even life should be sacrificed for the sake of Iglesia. We will do that.).”

“Kaya itong mga naninirang ito, bago sila magtagumpay kailangan muna nila akong patayin, mga kapatid. Sapagkat hindi ako papayag na kayo ay kanilang pinsalain (To those who are out to bring us down, before they will succeed they must first kill me, my brothers. Because I will not allow them to destroy you.).”

First time

Excerpts from the speech were based on a Facebook page shared by an INC member who declined to be identified.

The INC member said this was the first time that Manalo directly addressed the issues against him as INC head since he took over the group after the death of his father, Eraño Manalo, in August 2009.

For 46 years, Eraño ruled the church founded by his father, Felix, in 1914.

Eduardo Manalo made the fiery remarks amid controversies that were initially spread by disenchanted members on Internet blogs, Facebook posts and YouTube videos. Mainstream media reported the issues after his differences with his family came out in the open.

Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Villanueva Manalo and his mother, Cristina “Tenny” Villanueva Manalo, posted a brief video on YouTube on July 22 pleading for help, claiming that their lives were in danger and that several INC ministers had been kidnapped.

Just four days before INC celebrated its 101st founding anniversary on July 27, Manalo announced the expulsion of his own mother and his siblings Angel, Marco Eraño Villanueva Manalo and Lolita Manalo Hernandez for “doctrinal” reasons.

The INC head spoke during the anniversary celebration at the INC-owned Philippine Arena in Bulacan province but he barely touched on the crisis threatening to rip apart the church.

Tenny and Angel were expelled for posting the video, claiming their lives were in danger and some ministers had been kidnapped, according to INC general evangelist Bienvenido Santiago.

It was the general leadership that decided to expel those causing division in the Iglesia, he said.

Santiago denied that INC was involved in the alleged kidnapping of some ministers.

Isaias Samson Jr., former editor in chief of Pasugo, INC’s official publication, claimed on July 23 that he and his family escaped after being placed under house arrest by INC’s governing council.

Samson said INC minister Lowel Menorca II was abducted in Sorsogon province and detained in Cavite province. The police released Menorca on July 26 and later he denied on INC-run Net 25 television that he had been abducted. His brother, however, claimed that Menorca had spoken under duress.

Four INC ministers denied that three of them and a father of one of them had been abducted, while a National Bureau of Investigation official claimed that initial investigation showed there were no abductions.

However, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said that the case was not yet closed and that the NBI was looking into the matter. De Lima said the NBI official was not involved in the investigation.

Besides the alleged abductions of INC ministers, the media reported alleged corruption in INC, particularly in the construction of the Philippine Arena, the $200-million cost of which was allegedly padded to give commissions and kickbacks to people close to the executive minister.