Gov’t behind illegal detention raps filed by ex-INC ministers

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio has accused the Aquino administration of masterminding the emergence of former Iglesia ni Cristo ministers to accuse members of the religious sect’s Sanggunian of abduction and illegal detention.

Topacio, an Iglesia ni Cristo member, said an insider from Malacañang told him that President Benigno Aquino III and administration standard bearer Mar Roxas wanted to sow discord among Iglesia ni Cristo’s ranks by tainting the reputation of its leaders so its members will be less inclined to follow the doctrine of voting whoever the church endorses in the May 2016 elections.

In a press conference on Thursday, he shared a text message from his source confirming the supposed demolition job against the Iglesia ni Cristo. The text supposedly read: “Pare, confirmed. May demolition job sina MR and group ni BSA versus you (referring to Iglesia ni Cristo). Sila nagpopondo sa lawyers and media.”

Topacio said proof of the government’s hand in the legal controversy hounding the church is the involvement of lawyer Trixie Cruz Angeles in the cases of former church ministers Isaias Samson Jr. and Lowell Menorca II.

Angeles, the spokesperson of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, is the counsel of the two ex-ministers.

“Knowing na mabobokya sila (Aquino administration) pag nag-survey sila sa grupo namin, they’re now destroying the credibility of the INC’s leadership para yung mga members mawalan ng pananampalataya na sumunod sa aming doktrina ng pagkakaisa… Nangyayari na yan. Yung mga tumiwalag na ministro, sino ang abugado? Isang abugado na parte ng pamahalaan,” Topacio said.

Samson and Menorca have separately filed illegal detention charges against members of the Sanggunian.

Disclosure: Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles is the publisher of Politiko

Source:

http://politics.com.ph/govt-behind-illegal-detention-raps-filed-by-ex-inc-ministers-topacio/#.VjK6dkBDAbM.facebook