Ex-ministers’ feud with INC: What Samson and Menorca have in common

Isaias Samson Jr. and Lowell Menorca II are both former ministers of Iglesia ni Cristo. They are pursuing serious criminal charges against the leaders of their faith.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) – In August, former Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) minister Isaias Samson Jr. filed an illegal detention complaint against the religious group’s governing council called Sanggunian before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

This ignited a 5-day protest on EDSA by thousands of INC members, who invoked the separation of Church and State under the Constitution.

After three months, another former minister, Lowell Menorca II, appeared before media and claimed he and his family were held by church leaders against their will -- similar to Samson’s ordeal.

‘Illegally detained, threatened’

In a press conference on October 25, a visibly distraught Menorca recounted how his family ended up detained in the INC’s headquarters in Quezon City.

He claimed armed men kidnapped them in July, and brought them from Sorsogon to the Dasmariñas, Cavite police station. His case -- illegal possession of a grenade.

“My hands were bleeding. I kept on begging the police officers to remove my handcuffs. I’m not gonna fight them. They were all with guns. I was begging and begging for the life of my wife and my child,” Menorca said in between tears with his wife also crying beside him.

Menorca told reporters the grenade was planted.

“That was not a grenade from me. That was the grenade thrown at me,” he said.

Menorca said they were released only after his brother and his wife’s sister filed petitions for writs of habeas corpus and amparo with the Supreme Court.

A video of Menorca surfaced in the Internet after his family was released. In it, he narrated their experience.

“Sa mga pagkakataong iyon na kami ay illegally detained, wala kaming kalayaang makaalis, o malayang pumunta kung saan namin gusto. Wala kaming karapatan na tumanggap ng bisita… Ang cellphone, camera, at iba pang gadgets ay ipinagbawal din.”

[Translation: When we were illegally detained, we can’t go out, and we don’t have liberty to go to places we want to visit. We also don’t have any right to accept visitors… cellphones, camera, and other gadgets were also not allowed.”

Menorca also recounted how he was forced to say on video that he was not illegally detained.

“Lahat po ng narinig nyo, lahat po iyon ay scripted. Ako po ay nagsalita, dahil sa yun po ang pinasabi nila sa akin.”

[Translation: Everything you heard from me was scripted. I said everything they want me to say.]

Menorca’s painful experience was no different from that of Samson.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' News.PH in August, Samson said men with heavy firearms guarded the compound where he and his family had been detained.

"I was placed under what they called house arrest which is literally illegal detention… They added guards from the central office with long arms... high-powered," Samson said.

He described a guarded compound where most INC ministers and their families live. But he claimed security was reinforced when his family was placed under “house arrest.”

INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala explained in a telephone interview in News.PH that Samson’s situation was a “disciplinary measure within the church.”

"Ang ipinataw na pag-disiplina noong siya po ay naiulat sa pamamahala na nakikipagsabwatan sa mga kaaway ng Iglesia... iyon po ay preventive suspension," Zabala said.

[Translation: That’s a disciplinary measure when he was reported to be conspiring with the enemies of the church… That was a preventive suspension.]

He added Samson was ordered to "make [himself] available."

Suspected Antonio Ebangelista

Samson and Menorca believed they were detained to disclose the identity of a certain Antonio Ebangelista, the blogger who had been writing against INC.

Ebangelista questions the INC leaders’ integrity by describing dubious acts and presenting documents of questionable transactions.

Source:

http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2015/11/03/iglesia-ni-cristo-feud-history-backgrounder-former-minsiters-isaias-samson-jr-lowell-menorca-II.html