Iglesia Ni Cristo seeks eviction of leader’s siblings

Who owns No. 36 Tandang Sora?

The competing claims of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and the expelled Manalo siblings on the Quezon City compound will be threshed out in court as both camps have taken legal steps to prove ownership.

The politically influential religious sect yesterday announced its plan to file an ejectment case should Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo and Lolita “Lottie” Manalo-Hemedez fail to heed the INC’s demand for them to vacate the property.

This developed as Hemedez, sister of INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo, filed a case two weeks ago accusing the religious group of falsifying the deed of sale supposedly signed by her dead husband.

Lies gone to extremes

But INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the slander and lies that the expelled members have been peddling to the media have gone to extremes, with the sole purpose of destroying the INC.

“Now the INC will take steps in accordance with the law,” Zabala said in a press briefing at Eagle Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday.

Zabala said the estranged siblings of the INC executive minister lost the privilege to stay in the church’s housing compound when they were expelled in July last year, but their stay was tolerated for humanitarian considerations.

“We want to emphasize that the whole compound at No. 36 Tandang Sora is owned by the  Iglesia ni Cristo,” Zabala said in Filipino. “But the camp of Mr. Angel and Ms Lottie refuses to respect this right but even tramples upon it.”