De Lima gives guidance, won't interfere in Iglesia cases

MANILA - Justice Secretary Leila De Lima reassured the public that the cases involving officials and members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) will go through the regular process, even as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to act on the complaints.

Several INC officials have been charged with serious illegal detention and harassment by expelled members Isaias Samson Jr. and Lito Fruto. The eight respondents are members of the 10-man Sanggunian, the INC’s highest administrative council.

The charges are now pending before the DOJ.

De Lima clarified that she cannot intervene at this stage of the process, stressing that the complaints will be resolved by the department's National Prosecution Service (NPS) under Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.

"Kapag preliminary investigation pa lang, NPS pa lang. Hindi ho nakikialam diyan ang secretary of justice kase dadaan yan sa proseso. What the secretary of justice does...What I normally do especially pag high profile cases, mino-monitor ko lang yan and give the proper guidance," she said.

Asked if she is giving special attention to the case, she said: "But I do that in all sensitive cases, high profile cases. I'm talking in general, not just the INC cases because these high profile cases, very high ang interest ng publiko. That's not special attention and I consider it as part of my job."

Arellano has yet to assign a state prosecutor or panel of prosecutors on the cases considering that the complainants have just completed the submission of the required number of complaints last Friday.

The justice secretary will only be able to intervene in the preliminary investigation (PI) of cases once the losing party elevates the case before her office on motion for reconsideration (MR) or petition for review (petrev).

De Lima said that she gives the NPS continuous guidance on all "high-profile cases" so as to ensure that these are resolved with utmost fairness.

"What is the proper guidance? Just follow the rule of law, just dispose the case based purely on the merits. I don't dictate on the prosecutors. I don't dictate on the NPS nor the prosecutor general dahil nga po pag mga ganyan na simula pa lang ng proseso, complaint for preliminary investigation, that is supposed to be subject to the independent and objective evaluation by the prosecutors concerned so the Secretary of Justice cannot interfere, cannot dictate on how the case is disposed of by the prosecutor. But as I said i-monitor ko. I have to make sure na tama ang gnagawa ng prosecutor," she said.

INC officials earlier accused De Lima of disregarding the principle of the separation of church and state and of giving “extraordinary” attention to the complaints.

Thousands of INC members trooped to the streets from August 27 to 31 before dispersing voluntarily.

Source:

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/08/15/de-lima-gives-guidance-wont-interfere-iglesia-cases