THE Iglesia ni Cristo on Thursday vowed to obtain legal relief over its ownership of a two-hectare house-and-lot property in Tandang Sora, Quezon City being occupied by the siblings of Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo.
At a news conference, INC lawyer Moises Tolentino Jr. said the church is bent on filing an ejectment case against Manalo’s younger brother, Felix Nathaniel Manalo, and sister, Lottie Manalo Hemedez, with the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to force them to vacate the property as well as trespass to dwelling against any unauthorized persons “who come and go inside the compound” lawfully owned by the religious institution, and not by any family corporation.
“We will assert our right of ownership against unauthorized persons,” he said.
He said they have already sent Ka Angel a first demand letter to leave the place, to no avail.
“We will be issuing a second letter, then a third one. If the occupants still continue to ignore us, we will file an ejectment case,” he added.
He said Ka Angel and Lottie have defied a December 2015 order of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 222 to submit a list of all occupants at 36 Tandang Sora.
“But they defied the court order,” he added.
Edwil Zabala, INC spokesperson, said Manalo’s siblings have already been expelled, and therefore “they do not have the right to stay inside the compound lawfully owned by the INC.”
“Remember, the INC is a religious institution, and not a family corporation. Even if the executive minister is their older brother, still the doctrine is above all,” he said.
“At first, we allowed them to stay inside the compound for humanitarian reasons, but because many person just come and go, we must take the appropriate actions,” he said.
Tolentino denied Hemedez’s claim that she and her husband owned the disputed lot and had possession of the land title.
“We are after two things—the right of the owner of the property to enjoy the rights of ownership on the property and the security of the place just adjacent the central office,” he said.
The siblings’ lawyer, Trixie Angeles, said they will face the ejectment case once filed in court.
The Manalo siblings, along with their mother Tenny, were expelled when they raised allegations of corruption within the church.
Last September 2015, the INC leadership filed a writ for a preliminary injunction against the Manalo’s, asking the court to prohibit them from allowing visitors.
Zabala presented to the media several photographs of unidentified men in masks entering the Manalos’ residence.
“Will we allow this thing to happen just like that?” he asked.
“We learned that someone even died inside.”
According to Zabala, they are not closing their doors to a reconciliation with the expelled INC members.
“They know what to do to be able to be members again. They need to change and leave the wrong,” he said.