Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday promised not to interfere with the conduct of the preliminary investigation on the criminal charges against leaders of the Iglesia Ni Cristo because the state prosecutors are mandated to independently and objectively resolve cases assigned to them based on merits.
De Lima stressed that the Justice Secretary does not meddle with the conduct of PI by state prosecutors, but she would usually monitor high-profile cases.
“I don’t dictate on the prosecutors. The secretary of Justice cannot interfere with how a case is disposed of by the prosecutor. But I normally monitor high-profile cases to make sure the prosecutors properly follow the established procedures,” she said.
According to her, she considers the criminal complaints filed by expelled minister Isaias Samson Jr. and expelled member Lito Fruto against INC leaders as “high-profile” due to the massive public interest involved.
“This is a high-profile, sensitive case so I monitor that. In fact, I consider this as part of my job to monitor this case,” De Lima explained.
De Lima said the prosecutors should always adhere to “proper guidance to just follow the rule of the law and just dispose of the case based purely on the merits.”
The Justice Secretary said she has been monitoring PI even in previous high-profile cases, so there is no such “extraordinary attention” being accorded to the INC cases as alleged by the church’s leadership that led to the Edsa rally.
De Lima also clarified that she has not ordered the issuance of subpoena against the INC leaders—contrary to a report of another newspaper yesterday. She said during PI proceedings, it is the investigating prosecutor who summons respondents in a criminal complaint.
“It’s not the secretary of Justice who will issue subpoena. There is a wrong understanding by some,” she lamented.
De Lima also stressed that the creation of the panel of prosecutors to investigate the Samson and Fruto complaints was delayed because of the failure of the complainants to submit required number of copies of documents.
“This is part of the regular process. There are no investigating prosecutor assigned yet because it was only recently when they submitted complete sets of complaints. The process cannot start unless these procedural requirements are met,” she said.
Samson and his family filed their complaint last Aug. 25 and as of yesterday, the DOJ has not yet formed a panel of prosecutors to conduct the PI on the charges of harassment, illegal detention, threats and coercion.
Samson’s lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles said they do not consider the two-week period as a delay in the DOJ process.
“We do not see that yet as a delay. And even if it is, such delay is probably not caused by anything out of the ordinary,” she said.
“For the moment we presume that the DoJ is acting on our complaint and we presume that its personnel are acting with regularity,” the lawyer added.
De Lima already assured earlier that the Samson and Fruto complaints will undergo PI proceedings and that prosecutors would be assigned to determine if there is probable cause to warrant the filing of the cases in court.
Citing “ministerial duties” of the DoJ, she said the respondents would also be summoned and be given chance to answer the charges during hearings.
Samson’s complaint named as respondents eight members of the Sanggunian, the INC’s highest administrative council —Glicero Santos Jr., Radel Cortez, Bienvenido Santiago Sr., Mathusalem Pareja, Rolando Esguerra, Eraño Codera, Rodelio Cabrerra and Maximo Bularan.
Samson, his wife Myrna Dionela and son Isaiah filed the complainant after claiming they were prohibited from leaving their house in Quezon City last July after he was accused of being “Antonio Ebanghelista,” the blogger who have been attacking the INC. Samson, former editor in chief of INC’s official publication Pasugo, had denied that he was the blogger.
Fruto, on the other hand, filed harassment charges against the members of the INC Sanggunian for supposedly concocting rape charges that led to issuance of an arrest warrant and hold departure order against him after he sided with Ka Angel and Ka Lottie Manalo, siblings of INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo who were also expelled after going against the church’s leadership.
The 50-year-old Filipino-American doctor was arrested earlier for the rape case in Caloocan City after admitting that he was one of the bloggers who have been attacking the INC leadership that led to his expulsion from the church.