Court orders search for ‘missing’ ex-INC exec facing ‘threats’

The Court of Appeals 7th division has ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to look for former Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Minister Lowell Menorca II.

Associate Justice Magdangal de Leon, 7th division chair, said the court gave the BI and the PNP five days to trace the whereabouts of Menorca.

“We will give them five days the latest,” De Leon said Monday.

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The appeals court issued the order after Menorca’s lawyer, Trixie Angeles, informed the court that her client and his family were missing.

Menorca was supposed to appear Monday before the appeals court to continue the cross examination in connection with the writ of amparo petition filed by his brother and sister-in-law.

Angeles said that last she heard of Menorca was at 8 pm Sunday.

According to her, Menorca informed her that they had received a death threat.

“He informed us that they received a death threat,” Angeles told the Court.

The death threat was sent using Menorca’s family photo with a March 7 date, face of his daughter marked with an “X”. It was placed on the windshield of his vehicle.

The appeals court reset the hearing to March 21 and 28.