Menorca’s wife details ordeal during ‘abduction’ and ‘detention’
A DAY after former Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) pastor Lowell Menorca was arrested by Manila police officers for libel, his wife Seiko “Jinky” Otsuka-Menorca on Thursday faced the media and disclosed a few more details of their alleged abduction and detention at the church’s Quezon City compound last year.
Citing a series of interrogations and unfulfilled promises of freedom, an emotional Otsuka recalled the supposed mental and emotional torture that her family endured during their detention at INC’s central compound from July to October in 2015.
“Iba ‘yung emotional pressure na binigay nila. I think yung mental torture na binigay nila was more than physical, kasi yung physical maghihilom pero yung mental po na hanggang ngayon traumatic, iba po eh,” Otsuka told reporters at the Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern in San Juan.
“Ang sabi po sa akin, kapag tinatanong ko po kung nasaan yung asawa ko, ang unang sasabihin sa’kin, nandun lang kausap lang sa Central. Kausap ng mga Sanggunian. Tapos next time around, hindi na po nila alam. Sino pong hindi mababaliw? Na sasabihin sa umpisa ‘wag kang mag-alala, alam namin kung nasaan si Boyet (Lowell), ligtas siya,’ tapos sa susunod ‘hindi namin alam kung nasaan siya eh,'” she added.
Before being brought to the INC central compound, Otsuka said she was first detained at an apartelle along the same avenue in Quezon City and was then transferred to a house in Tandang Sora.
“Magkahiwalay po kasi kami (ni Lowell). Katulad nung sa aking testimony, kumbaga nagkita na lang po kami sa Central pero hindi po nila ako doon dinala, sa apartelle along Central avenue,” she said. “Tapos next sa isa naman pong house, nung nalaman nilang meron na pong nakakaalam, nilipat na naman po ako, yung anak ko saka yung kasama ko ng bahay sa may Tandang Sora sa may Rosalia village.”
“Kung hindi ako sasama sa kanila hindi ko raw makikita ang asawa ko,” Otsuka said, identifying the men as INC members Roland Esguerra and Erds Codera.
Otsuka said she was with another detained minister by the name of Norman Reyes, who was also supposedly being accused of spreading accusations against the church.
“May nakasama po akong minister. Same house, from the apartelle nalipat na po kami sa Rosalia village. Norman Reyes po, not sure po kung nasaan na po siya,” she said. “According to him, sabi n’ya napagkamalan din po siya… Actually when he was there kinakausap ko siya pero saglit na saglit lang, naghihintay siya na tatawagin siya ng Sanggunian, then isang araw po biglang pinatawag na po siya. Dumating si Tata Roland, kinausap siya sa may garahe, then umalis po sila. Dumating po siya nang gabi, tapos pinapauwi na raw po siya… Sabi lang po niya magpakatatag ka,” she said.
Otsuka said it was Esguerra who had been giving instructions to their escorts through the phone “from the very beginning,” while Ka Eli Gatchalian was the one reporting their whereabouts.
She went on by saying that they were subjected to constant interrogations, nearly to the point of brainwashing, repeatedly being grilled about their loyalty to the Sanggunian, INC’s highest administrative council.
“From time to time, they would go to our place and interrogate him, so isn’t that enough… ? Kung sino po sila, alam na po nila ‘yung ginawa nilang pag-i-interrogate sa amin… From time to time po… Basta ito ‘yung laging tanong, ‘sa pamamahala ka, magtapat ka sa pamamahala. Sa pamamahala tayo. Ikaw ba nagtatapat ka na sa pamamahala ka?’ So it’s actually a question na, sasagot ba ko ng oo o hindi? Wala po akong magawa but to say yes, of course nasa possession po nila kami,” Otsuka said.
“Marami po silang tinatanong. Minsan hindi ko po maintindihan, brainwashing ba ‘yun, kung ano ba ‘yun,” she added.
While saying that they were neither physically maltreated nor deprived of food, Otsuka noted that the “traumatic” experience still haunts her up to this day, finding herself crying during sleepless nights and worrying over their 2-year-old child.
“Pilit ko pong tinatanong kelan pwedeng makalabas kahit man lang po makapanood ng movie or go to the mall, ‘yun lang po. That’s what we were asking for. We were asking for our stuff, nasa’n na po ‘yung sasakyan namin, ‘yung mga gamit namin, tapos sasabihin nila, ”wag kayong mag-alala malapit na ‘to. Makakauwi na kayo magiging normal na ang lahat.’ So they kept on promising and promising us that it will be okay,” she said.
After three months of detention, Otsuka said what prompted the INC to release them in late October was the petition for habeas corpus filed by Menorca’s brother and sister in law, which supposedly caused panic at the Sanggunian.
But before being set free, Otsuka said they were forced to sign papers clearing the religious sect from allegations of abduction and detention.
“When they heard about the habeas nag-panic po sila. Nung una sinasabi pa po sa’kin, ah dun na lang kami sa pabahay ulit, yung pabahay po, then sabi ko, ‘no doon na lang kami sa tita ko.’ Hinatid na po kami, inescortan po kami ng vehicle po yata ‘yun. Sila Tata Roland po ang nag-escort sa amin, sila ka Erds. Then hanggang doon po sa bahay pinapipirma nila ako sa mga claims, affidavits telling na walang kinalaman ang Iglesia, walang kinalaman ang pamunuan sa detention abduction robbery. Marami pong nilagay nila dun sa paper na pinapipirma nila,” Otsuka said.
“Bago po kami makaalis dun nakipag-deal muna po sila to sign. You have to sign first before you can leave, para po sa kanilang kaligtasan. We have the files, we have pictures,” she added.
Upon release, Menorca surfaced last year and confirmed that he and his family were indeed abducted, noting that his statements in past interviews were all lies and orchestrated by the church leadership.
An altercation between Menorca’s camp and Manila police ensued Wednesday after the cops arrested the expelled minister over a libel suit filed in Mindanao while on his way to a schedule hearing at the Court of Appeals. A video taken by Menorca’s camp showed that the arresting officers were wearing plainclothes, shorts and slippers.
Provincial chapters of the Society of Communicators and Networks (SCAN) International, a group of INC’s medical and rescue units, filed libel suits against Menorca in various courts after tagging them as the private army or death squad of the church.
The CA has rescheduled Menorca’s cross-examination for the writ of amparo filed by his brother Anthony and sister-in-law Jungko regarding the alleged abduction.
