Police tried to ‘rescue’ househelp, says Menorca lawyer

Atty. Trixie Angeles (L) and expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister Lowell Menorca. FILE PHOTO

A MEMBER of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) has allegedly tried to “rescue” the househelp of expelled Iglesia Ni Cristo minister Lowell Menorca, according to his lawyer.

Trixie Angeles, Menorca’s counsel, said that during the one-hour break from the Court of Appeals hearing on Tuesday, a woman approached Abegail Yanson, put her arms on her shoulders and tried to whisk her away.

“This kind of harassment should stop,” Angeles told the Court of Appeals seventh division handling the case.

Angeles said the woman was identified by the Menorcas as a member of the CIDG and belonging to INC.

“From what I understand, hindi namin maintindihan kung paano nakapasok dito at meron pa nga nag-allege na pumasok dito as lawyers for the petitioners. Wala pong ipinapakitang warrant o court order at di namin alam kung paano sila pinapasok. Maliwanag na may panggagamit dito pero suffice it to say na malaki na ang pangangarag sa mga kliyente namin,” Angeles said.

But lawyer Patricia Ann Prodigalidad said the woman was Yanson’s mother who only wanted to hug her daughter.

“The mother just wanted to hug her daughter and she was restrained … They refused to allow a mother to hug her daughter,” Prodigalidad told the appeals court.

Prodigalidad also told the appeals court that the Menorcas are not entitled to the privilege of a writ of amparo because there is no actual threat to the petitioners.

“They are trying to establish it now [that] a CIDG [operative was] allegedly trying to put her arms around Ms. Yanson,” Prodigalidad said.

But Angeles said “with all due respect to the counsel of the respondents, she was not there. It was not the mother, it was somebody else.”

“This is not a simple matter, this is not something like a mother wanted to hug her daughter. She did not have to run the gauntlet of people who had been inadvertently trying to take pictures of petitioners for whatever purpose, harassing them, shouting at them,” Angeles said.

Prodigalidad, however, said “it is quite funny that they are now complaining about picture taking. They have become celebrities by their own doing.”

“The petitioners and the family of Mr. Menorca are the ones outside trying to get media attention, giving interviews, having prescheduled press conference,” Prodigalidad said.

The 24-year Yanson, together with Lowell Menorca, his wife Jingky were allegedly abducted and detained by INC members after Menorca was among those suspected to be Antonio Ebanghelista who is writing blogs against the Church.

The three were rescued by authorities early this month.

However, Yanson’s mother, Rosalie appealed to Menorca to release her daughter and stop pressuring Abegail to testify on the case against INC.

Named respondents are Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo as well as Radel Cortez, Bienvenido Santiago and Rolando Esguerra, who are members of the INC’s Sanggunian, its highest administrative body.

The INC leaders did not attend the hearing and instead sent their lawyers to represent them.

In ordering the CA to hear Menorca’s petition, the Supreme Court directed the former to resolve the case within 10 days. Tetch Torres-Tupas/RC

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