“All hearsay, zero evidence.”
This was how Iglesia ni Cristo spokesman Edwil Zabala summed up the allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the homegrown church’s leaders, who Zabala said on Sunday were the victims of “sustained and deliberately-planned efforts to besmirch their reputation, sow division within the church, and consequently discredit it in the eyes of the public.”
According to Zabala, after the much-publicized but failed attempts to file criminal charges against the INC leadership, the INC’s detractors “are less concerned now with proving their charges in court, as their focus is simply to use the media to sow public distrust and internal discord by making fantastic, baseless allegations anchored on hearsay.”
Zabala pointed out that the latest accusations of former INC minister, American Vincent Florida, were “perfect examples of how statements that would be thrown out in court have become the bases for damaging news reports.”
Florida alleged last week that there were irregularities in the handling of financial contributions in the US, with INC leaders involved in supposedly smuggling funds via private planes owned by the INC to banks in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands to avoid the US’ Internal Revenue Service. Florida claimed that as a result of these irregularities, he had reported involved INC officials to the IRS.
The IRS clarified last week, however, through IRS Special Agent Arlette Lee, that no tax fraud or tax offense case had been filed against any INC official in any US federal court.
Florida has also failed to present proof to substantiate his claims about the existence of INC’s private jets. In response to requests for evidence, Florida has simply responded by saying “I cannot attest to that, but that’s what I heard.”
Zabala pointed out that “it is easy to make up stories of wrongdoing and just let them spread all over the media,” but as the twin DOJ dismissals show,“being able to prove these stories with facts is difficult, and this is something our critics have repeatedly failed to do.”
The fresh allegations surfaced after separate criminal complaints for serious illegal detention and harassment against INC leaders filed by ex-minister Isaias Samson and former member Jose Norlito Fruto were dismissed by the Department of Justice several weeks ago due to “lack of probable cause” and failure to present evidence to support their claims.
“We continue to pray for enlightenment for those who attack us. At the same time, we assure the Filipino people and our own membership that we shall be steadfast and determined in defending the church. The truth is on our side,” Zabala said.