FOR the first time in recent memory, members of the Iglesia ni Cristo have taken to the streets in protest. Church officials said the demonstrations and vigils at the Justice Department office in Ermita, Manila and along the main thoroughfare of Edsa were aimed at defending their religious freedom, after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima announced that she would investigate a complaint filed by an ousted minister, Isaias Samson Jr., charging the INC’s highest administrative council of harassment, illegal detention and coercion.
The INC demands that De Lima resign for showing an “inordinate interest” in the Samson case, at a time where so many more serious cases are pending in her office, including the January massacre of 44 police commandos in Mamasapano.
The INC protests and the government’s response thus far are rife with examples of how selectively justice is applied and how special treatment is the order of the day.
On the one hand, INC critics accused the influential church of bullying the government into dropping what might be a legitimate case against its officials. They said the government has bent over backwards to assure church leaders that it would not take “an adversarial position” against them.
“[The] government’s duty is to ensure that the laws of the land are complied with and does not wish to interfere in the internal affairs of any legitimate organization,” a spokesman said Friday.
“[The] government is not taking an adversarial position against the INC whose contributions to national development and demonstration of civic consciousness are duly acknowledged,” the spokesman added.
Certainly, the INC critics see a double standard at work here.
At the same time, there is also a double standard at work at the Justice Department, which, as the INC correctly observes, has been remiss in pursuing major cases such as the Mamasapano massacre, in which no charges have yet been filed, or the misuse of billions in government funds through the now discredited Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Given De Lima’s apparent intention to run for the Senate next year, her motives for taking on the INC are suspect, to say the least. Given the INC’s propensity for block voting and its reluctance to back the administration ticket next year, De Lima’s move might be seen as a bid to sow discord among members and to break up the church’s political influence. Or, she could simply be playing to the crowd to gain extra publicity and to project an image of a public servant who is unafraid of confronting the powerful.
Given De Lima’s track record, however, that ship sailed a long time ago, when she turned a blind eye to her own boss’ decision to absolve all his friends and allies of wrongdoing in the disgraceful Luneta hostage crisis of 2010.
Since those fateful days, De Lima has shed her facade as an independent upholder of the law, and has eagerly taken on the role of President Benigno Aquino III’s faithful attack dog, pressing cases against his political opponents while dragging her feet on pursuing charges against his friends and allies.
Reacting to the firestorm of protest from the INC, De Lima said she is “only doing her job.”
We beg to differ. If De Lima truly did her job and dispensed justice evenly, none of this would come back to bite her today.