JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima has directed National Bureau of Investigation Director Virgilio Mendez to discipline an official who declared earlier that the bureau’s probe on the alleged abduction of 10 ministers of the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo was deemed closed.
De Lima made the statement on Monday, reiterating that the authorities are still investigating the supposed abduction of INC ministers contrary to the claim of NBI Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division chief Manuel Eduarte that the case is now considered closed.
“The NBI official who supposedly declared that the case was closed is not involved in the investigation. He is not part of the team. I was surprised that he made those statements,” De Lima said.
“That’s why I asked Director Mendez to do something about it, to discipline him for making an unauthorized and untrue statement that the investigation was already closed,” she added.
However, De Lima declined to provide details on the information provided to them by Lowell Minorca, the brother of INC minister—Lowell Minorca, who has been placed under the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program.
“[Anthony] asked for our protection and because he shared certain very sensitive information with respect to what happened to his brother. But as to exactly what information he shared with us, we cannot yet disclose them because the NBI investigation is still ongoing,” De Lima said.
Lowell was earlier identified by Isaias Samson Jr., the former editor in chief of the INC’s official publication “Pasugo,” as having been abducted in the province of Sorsogon and detained by the Dasmarinas, Cavite police for illegal possession of firearms.
He was released by the Dasmarinas police last July 26. But Lowell denied he was abducted.
Anthony, however, claimed that member of his family are being held against their will at the INC central office in Quezon City.
“We have to investigate which version is true. There is a need to determine which one is true since they both disputed each other’s claim, when they are brothers.
Reports about the alleged abduction of 10 INC ministers first came into focus after a blog site ran by one Antonio Ramirez Ebangelista claimed about the alleged missing church officials. The blogsite identified one of the allegedly abducted ministers as Menorca.
However, it turned out later that Menorca was apprehended by the Dasmarinas, Cavite police for allegedly threatening two construction workers with a grenade.
He was released by the Dasmarinas City police after the complaint against him was dropped. The INC has denied the claim on the missing ministers.