AN expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister on Sunday alleged that some unscrupulous church leaders were selling the denomination’s vote to politicians.
In a television interview, former minister Roel Rosal denied INC spokesman Edwil Zabala’s claim that he and other critics of the church were just disgruntled because of their removal from the ministry.
Rosal said he has a letter from a defeated mayoralty candidate in Bulacan province who said he gave P200,000 for an endorsement by the INC before the 2010 elections.
He said the defeated candidate was a friend of his and asked him to raise the issue with the INC central office.
“He was asking for an explanation. I brought the matter to our leaders and wrote Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, but there was never any action.”
Because of his efforts to help the defeated candidate, Rosal said he earned the ire of the church’s leaders, prompting them to expel him and evict him from his residence inside the compound of the INC central temple in Quezon City.
Meanwhile, an INC minister who was arrested for alleged possession of a hand grenade has been released by the Dasmariñas, Cavite police.
Minister Lowell Menorca Jr. had been charged with grave threats and illegal possession of explosives, but the suit has reportedly been withdrawn by the complainant.
INC spokesman Zabala declined to comment on the incident.
“We have been busy with the activities connected to our anniversary,” he told The Standard.
Menorca, a volunteer minister in Sorsogon, was earlier reported missing after he allegedly joined a group of church leaders critical of certain practices of the INC leadership.
The blog “Iglesia Ni Cristo Silent No More” run by a certain Antonio Ramirez Ebangelista claimed that nine ministers, including Menorca, had been abducted and expelled from the group.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the recent controversies involving the INC will not cover the allegations of corruption or the mishandling of church funds.
“In the absence of a proper complaint, there is no basis at this point to look into allegations of corruption or misuse of INC funds,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said in a text message.
De Lima stressed that just like the expulsion from the INC of Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo, brother of current INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo, and their mother Cristina “Tenny” Manalo, the government considers the allegations of corruption “internal” to the church.
“We cannot just intervene without any complaint filed,” De Lima said.
However, De Lima admitted that concerned government agencies, including the Department of Justice, may still act on the issue if a proper complaint is filed.
We cannot say for sure that the government will no longer intervene. It will really depend [on] if we receive a formal complaint from Ka Angel or any member of the INC,” she stressed.
“While there is no such thing as malversation of private funds, there are other possible offenses that may apply, depending really on the charge. There is a whole gamut of possible criminal offenses like swindling, estafa, theft and falsification,” she said.
De Lima explained that the investigation for now would be confined to the supposed abduction of INC ministers as claimed by the expelled ministers of the church, including Isaias Samson, former editor of INC’s official publication, Pasugo.
Samson claimed in a press conference last week that he and his family were detained in their house in Quezon City over allegations that he has been exposing alleged corruption in the INC on the Internet.
The DOJ chief said the NBI team will submit to her their preliminary findings, so the department can decide whether to proceed or not with filing charges.