Indecent Political Affair and Injustices to Remember by: truthhuntsman, October 17, 2010

“To implement the law without fear or favor … and do justice to every man” is an inspiring articulation of purpose that formed part of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s pledge before the Filipino people on two occasions when she had assumed office as President of the Republic of the Philippines. Very unfortunately, however, not only had she failed twice, but worse, her nine (9)-year old governance, with its inherent infirmities had ravaged the nation’s political, social and economic lifeline.

Forced upon the Filipino people in 2001 “power grab” by society’s elite, vested interest groups and military clique, the Arroyo regime became a willing hostage of patronage politics in its ugliest mutation. It kept wallowing in the mud hole of indecent political collaboration with its ill motivated and self-centered cohorts and patrons for mutual gain. Such a hideous situation turned out to be the foundation of a detestable kind of political impropriety and devious machinations in the furtherance of its continued political existence and in so doing, prostituted our cherished democratic processes.

In a very shameless fashion, the Arroyo administration was into creative, systematic and well organized methods of graft & corruption in trying to satisfy its insatiable economic and political greed. Consequently, many high profile corruption cases (Fertilizer Fund Scam, ZTE-NBN botched deal, North Rail Project, NAIA Terminal 3 Project and many others) involving top officials were unearthed. In all those cases however, the primary suspects (FG, Jocjoc Bolante, Romulo Neri and many others) are coddled and secured.

On the other hand, witnesses and whistle blowers (like Jun Lozada, Gen. Gudani, Ador Maoanay, and others) were silenced by way of bribery, threats and some other possible means. These were then common knowledge known to Filipino people who were responsible for giving GMA a shameful negative fifty four per cent (- 54%) satisfaction rating, the lowest in the history of Philippine presidency.

Foremost among Arroyo’s political investors was the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) of the Manalo family who supported her during the 2004 election for the presidency. The event marked the beginning of the Arroyo’s political indebtedness to Manalo family notwithstanding her “winning” the presidency, not through the votes of INC but by way of her strategy known as “Hello Garci”.

Thereafter, the political clout that this administration had bestowed upon the INC together with other similarly situated coteries (as gesture of political payback) was cleverly capitalized in the furtherance of devious motives. The political whims and caprices of INC and other political investors were usually accommodated. Consequently, the grave abuse in the exercise of shared political power had contributed immensely to the propagation of selective administrations of justice, socio-religious discriminations, extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances.

As we, members of the Church of God International better known as Ang Dating Daan (ADD) express our utmost indignation against this political syndication, we are constantly aware of the “clear and present danger” from the opposite end of a tilted political balance that the past administration had created. Due to the relentless expositions by our spiritual leader, Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano about corrupt and un-biblical practice in religion, the favored INC had become indiscriminate and tenacious.


INC ministers had resorted to measures, legal or otherwise, to deflect embarrassment from failure, for example, to defend their blasphemous, nonsensical and un-biblical doctrine that says “Christ is not divine”. Hence, innumerable instances of INC initiated persecutions; violence, harassment, character vandalism and intolerance have rained upon us. Police records can attest that scores of us were injured seriously and there were those who perished as consequences of outrageous INC brutality.

We therefore reiterate our strongest condemnation against these serious violations of our human rights and religious freedom brought about by an indecent political affair between the Arroyo government and its political investor INC. The illicit relationship and “under-the-table” intercourse between them had resulted in the procreation of injustices birthed by INC in manners and circumstances as follows:

• The INC sponsored raids of ADD religious compound in Apalit, Pampanga on two occasions (Feb. 01, 2002 and Dec.16, 2005) to serve warrant of arrest for libel case and executed with overdose of police assistance on the wee hours of the morning. The raids that only served to demonstrate brutality were glaring desecration of ADD religious freedom to which the Arroyo government did not care about despite documented protest on the matter.

• Contrary to INC disinformation, the Jollibee encounter in Apalit, Pampanga between ADD members and INC mob was not a free-for-all. The fourteen (14) seriously injured ADD members were victims of mob attack by the INC bullies who outnumbered their victims five (5) to one (1). Due to INC influence with local police, the serious wounds of ADD members were ridiculously deemed self inflicted, hence, the hapless victims were the ones charged with frustrated homicide instead of INC members who suffered no injury.

• Public news have it that Nickson Icao and Felizardo “Ka Zaldy” Lumagham, both of Macabebe, Pampanga and who were reported to be members of INC, (the latter, a deacon) were charged before the San Fernando prosecutors office for the brutal shooting to death of Marcos Mataro in April 2008. Mataro was a former INC minister who joined the ADD and was actively engaged in the exposition of INC deceptions when he was murdered. Until now, however, both INC suspects have yet to be accounted for by the police.

• With tremendous influence, the INC has that privilege to nominate and have its protégés appointed as top level bureaucrats or even Supreme Court Justices as in the case of Justice Presbiterio Velasco who eventually penned the decision upholding the three (3) months suspension of Ang Dating Daan (ADD) TV program. It is ironic though that same rule did not apply to INC which was earlier similarly situated having a row with MTRCB’s X-rated classification that initially banned its religious program. Unlike in the case of ADD, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of INC. (Ref: Shadow of Doubt book by Maritess Vitug)

• The INC also has the capacity to intervene and influence the outcome of high profile cases such as: the Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez murder case and the Jason Ivler trial for murder. (Ref: Michael Punongbayan and Evelyn Macairan of The Philippine Star, March 20, 2010.

Above stated facts and situations were only culled from the long list of human rights abuses and persecutions committed by vested interest collaborators against us most especially against Bro. Eli. As we had been struggling to contain this vicious campaign of harassment, we could only find solace to the reality that it was all over for the Arroyo regime.

Finally, we hope that the dawning of a new day as a consequence of the nation’s highly anticipated socio-economic and political development this time, under a new government, would provide President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, the added political will … to implement the law without fear or favor… and do justice to every man.

MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS AND KEEP US!

“The Great Debate That Never Was”

A debate challenge was published

On March 27, 2005, a whole page paid advertisement was published in a major Philippine newspaper, The Manila Times wherein a religious preacher named ELISEO SORIANO, commonly referred to as Bro. ELI, Presiding Minister of Members, Church of God International or better known as Ang Dating Daan (ADD) challenged ERAÑO MANALO, the Executive Minister of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) in a satellite TV debate.

Followers of both religious camps and the general public had long been impatiently anticipating what should have been an extremely exciting spiritual argumentation between the two religious leaders. The debate was expected to be a fitting climax to a religious conflict which the INC was waging in terms psychological and worldly rather than spiritual and biblical.

Bro. ELI who is a well known Great Debater in religion posed the challenge against MANALO apparently to expose what he knew as falsity of the INC religion amidst worsening situation of harassment, defamation and threat of violence against him. Hereunder was the complete text of Bro. ELI’s bold and straightforward debate challenge:

A Message to Eraño Manalo:

“This message is prompted by my fervent desire to uphold the biblical TRUTH and in the same vein to address the worsening spiritual conflict that effectively divides us mainly due to our extreme doctrinal differences in Christian faith.

While we believe that ours is the doctrine derived from the Bible pure and undefiled, yours is a doctrine with variable interpretations and bereft of Biblical justification. You may consider such declaration a boastful assertion but we have sufficient basis concerning our proud Christian conviction. The same principle compels us to initiate a crusade of sustained worldwide bible expositions so as to correct common biblical misunderstandings or misconceptions. In your case however, it is doctrinal disinformation/misinformation which I am specially trying to deal with.

Incidentally, in the process of my candid and uncompromising effort to protect many other souls from being misguided and deceived, I may be coming out antagonistic at times hence, your tendency to dislike, hate and despise me. Nonetheless, if that is the price I have to pay (for just being servant no greater than my Master whose example and command I follow and obey), then so be it. If our Lord Jesus Christ in all His Godliness paid a supreme sacrifice for the sake of TRUTH and SALVATION, then who am I to shy away from God sent responsibility and not suffer as He suffered? Unfortunately though, some of those who refuse to understand due mainly to selfish interest have opted to remain in their fortress only to become agents of hypocrisy, tools for deception and peddlers of lies.

Since you have launched the program “Ang Tamang Daan” on your nationwide TV and radio network more than two (2) years ago, I have found myself perpetually at the receiving end of vicious smear campaign and character assassination. Characteristics of your designs are trashes and craps  from your stinking armory of desperate propagandizing filled with dirty tricks and rotten schemes like the following:

1. The series of televised and formal endorsement by your supposedly dignified Ministers of smut magazines purportedly containing pornographic illustrations of my person.
2. The dubious testimonies of dismissed or suspended workers and members who were lucratively employed in your program purposely to vilify me.
3. The agitation effort directed to our Muslim Filipino brothers to rise up against me by presenting dubious tapes to project that I am personally against them.
4. Many other morally demeaning and libelous accusations hurled against me.

These and more, without let up have been directed and fired at will and this space is not enough to contain the complete list of unchristian acts committed against my person so freely and willfully done in wanton disregard of the Laws of God and the Laws of Man. The innumerable menu of a daily recycled negative “PR” blitz is ordinarily flavored with unsavory segments of mangled tapes played to create a “spin” of inconsistencies and contradictions in my preaching.

Uncanny diversionary tactics in frantic effort to evade the onslaught of TRUTH is usually the specialty of the day. The same is garnished completely with black propaganda, outright lies and circumvented laws of logic which are sure ingredients that cause severe moral and spiritual diarrhea to innocent and unsuspecting viewers/listeners.

However, no amount of Psychological weapons and propaganda ammunitions from the reservoir of your dirty tricks department can stop me; nay distract me from vigorously pursuing my evangelical mission. I stand for the TRUTH and refuse to be dragged down the gutter of schemes that creates a polluted atmosphere suitable for the language of hypocrisy, deception and lies to prevail. I prefer the modern arena for an intellectual and dignified religious confrontation whereby observers worldwide can judge us based on sensible reasoning straight from the scriptures. This I believe is the best way to settle who between us promotes the doctrine of TRUTH and who promotes the doctrine of LIES with the Bible as our guide.

It is therefore incumbent upon you Mr. Manalo, by virtue of your command responsibility being the spiritual leader of INC to facilitate orderliness within the confines of your spiritual fortress if you are really true. By allowing so much of these improprieties, indiscretions and acts unbecoming of your “PR” Ministers, you are wittingly or unwittingly causing collateral damage instead of doing justice to the righteous principle of Christian evangelism.

By presenting in your program some of our Muslim brothers indignant over my supposedly “offensive words” against their faith, you have actually demonstrated your potent capacity for creating “low intensity conflict”. Worse, your minions are monitoring and announcing my private activities and whereabouts as if I am a target of Muslim’s “seek and destroy operation”. This kind of behavior is an expressed admission of your willingness to act as agents for those who maybe wishing me harm. Ironically, you seem to be seeking alliance with a different religion outside your own even if such religion, according to your own doctrine (not ours) is hopeless and hell bound.

I therefore urge you now to settle our difference once and for all and put an end to the unchristian kind of spiritual warfare being introduced in your program that only tends to muddle the real issues and deviate from the biblical truth. In this regard, I am inviting you to a one on one discussion or debate which will finally settle our doctrinal differences with the bible as our sole basis. The most logical venue, viewership wise and security wise is our respective television studio to be simultaneously covered live worldwide via satellite.

I will be waiting for your response for us to discuss the mechanics hoping that you will live up to the INC’s earlier tradition of courage in defending its faith … no matter how hopeless!

Signed,
ELESEO F. SORIANO, Presiding Minister
Members, Church of God International

The great escape from the haunting challenge

Bro. ELI’s challenge was formal and official but MANALO’s response was ridiculous, senseless and filled with alibis. In a press release on the same broadsheet the day after the debate challenge was published, the INC had this to say: “To respond to debate challenge at that point would be a violation of the sub-judice rules of court considering the numerous libel cases the INC filed against Bro. ELI. For further information please watch the INC TV program Ang Tamang Daan”.

It came to pass that the next day, the impatient followers of both camps watched the INC TV program in bated breath for the complete and official INC announcement pertaining to what was perceived as impending debate. Unfortunately however, public frustration set in the moment the program hosts (MANALO’s apologists Ramil Parba and Michael Sandoval) announced to everyone’s dismay that Bro. ELI must first debate with the POPE of ROME in LATIN before he could have the opportunity to face the INC leader in a one on one debate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREB-hvxG8U


Indeed, Manalo’s position in this case was nothing but a demonstration of futile effort to evade a bible based debate with Bro. ELI and to avoid embarrassment. Finally, since the very subject of Bro. ELI’s daring and haunting challenge eventually passed away, the much awaited confrontation between them will forever be “the great debate that never was”.

SPECIAL REPORT: When “undue influence” is a threat to democracy (Part I)

Introduction

Any act of persuasion that overcomes the free will and judgment of another, including exhortation, importunacy, insinuation, flattery, trickery and deception may practically amount to undue influence. It is closely related to influence peddling which is an improper practice of using one's influence in government or connections with persons in authority to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another in exchange for money or favors.

In the Philippines, Manalo’s Iglesia Ni Cristo or INC is the number one peddler of undue influence in government it being expert in using techniques mentioned above in exchange for political and economic favors. Incidentally, such practice bears the stench of corruption that is now threatening to suffocate the county’s democratic processes.

In brief: INC’s foundation date and initial developmental stage

It was in 1913 when the INC’s “Last Messenger in the Last Days?” in the person of Felix Ysagun Manalo (a “religious butterfly” who until his death was unable to arrive at the truth) began preaching the INC doctrine denying the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Members of the first batch of his converts were baptized at the Pasig River in late 1913 (Reference: INC official magazine Pasugo, July 27, 1989 page 109 and Pasugo, May 1996 page 10).

However, this initial “evangelical” effort of the “Last Messenger” was rendered totally inutile when that particular period of Manalo’s propagation was ignored altogether and not recognized now as part of the developmental period of INC. Otherwise, the INC should have reckoned 1913 as its beginning and could have celebrated Centennial anniversary last year 2013 instead of this year 2014. Be that as it may, it can’t be denied that the Last Messenger of INC, slowly but surely was able to gain adherents especially during post WWII period due primarily to factors enumerated below:

1. Many members of the predominant Catholic Church were dissatisfied with the glaring wrong and unbiblical practices of their Church, rendering them as easy prey for deception and eventual recruitment.

2. The fostering of extreme fraternal solidarity within the INC organization so that others could be lured to join (just like in fraternities) by the promise of strong kinship and political connections. Hence, the implied sense of security and protection, for some people, had been the primary motivation and consideration.

3. The sponsoring of various radio/TV programs that promote “guided” political views and awareness. The purpose was to motivate audience to be nationalistic (albeit misguided) so that INC could appeal to that sense of nationalism and be identified with the masses. Likewise, the INC, if it would serve their interest, used to ride on people’s valid political grievances to the extent of demonstrating its crowd drawing capacity during politically sponsored mass mobilization. More often, mass mobilization was being done insidiously under the guise of evangelical mission with same ulterior motive of gaining political and economic leverage from intended political target personalities. It must be noted that INC had since been operating by the political principle: “There is no such thing as permanent enemy, only permanent interest”. In other words, an INC enemy today could become an INC friend tomorrow for obvious self serving reason. Such had been the character of INC being a political church. It is a “political butterfly” whose founder was a “religious butterfly”. It made sense for people with extreme sagacity for opportunism.

4. INC had adopted the BIG LIE propaganda line of Adolf Hitler’s Master Propagandist Joseph Goebbels who said: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”. BIG LIE which simply meant RECYCLED GOSSIP had since been used by INC, not only in its passionate desire to demonize its detractors. BIG LIE had since been used also in its advertising and propagation of INC’s exaggerated membership estimates. The purpose of which is to create artificial bandwagon effect and exude added aura of strength. Such kind of strategy could most likely be the reason why an intellectual person, a Hitler avid admirer to date had joined the INC. Read: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/world/asia/14iht-lawyer14.html?_r=1

If you cannot lick them, join them

It came to pass that the INC (even without its Last Messenger who died on April 12, 1963) was at least able to lure some more adherents to its fold under Eraño Manalo, the son who succeeded his father who was the Last Messenger. The successor continued with the BIG LIE and did even up the ante even more: INC, with its 6 to 8 Million members and 3 to 4 Million voters could deliver the winning votes to national candidates during election. In 1992 Presidential election, INC endorsed the candidacy of Danding Cojuanco one (1) month prior to date of election. But despite that much ballyhooed INC bloc voting, the INC anointed candidate miserably lost, landing third among five candidates. More about this on this link: http://esoriano.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/the-knowledge-of-counting-is-wisdom/

With such humiliating debacle, the INC realized the futility of endorsing candidates a month or weeks prior to the date of election. Their actual membership count which was just a fraction of the bloated figure fed to media could not really ensure election victory. Hence, to preclude future embarrassment as consequence of its solid bloc voting circus, the INC from then on had to shift into endorsing candidates a few days before election.

The idea was to rely first on the election survey results conducted by perceived credible survey firms. Candidates who were leading (based on latest surveys) and who had sought the INC support were finally being endorsed 2 or 3 days prior to day of election. Final endorsement of course was being made after surreptitious forging of special package of political “deal” with the chosen “sure winner” candidates. Upon assumption to office of anointed candidates, it would be time for political payback in favor of INC and this fraternal church would enjoy every minute of it. Indeed, the INC had not been wanting when it comes to innovations on trickery and deception to satisfy its selfish ends.

Why do we allow this?

In a very scathing article against Manalo’s INC written by Conrado de Quiros, a renowned columnist of The Philippine Daily inquirer, he said and I partly quote:

“…Why do we allow the INC to begin with to interfere in elections? We know that INC members vote as a bloc for the candidates of their leaders’ choosing. We know this because that church doesn’t bother to hide it; it parades it as one of the reasons for joining it or currying its favor. At least the Catholic Church believes in giving to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God’s the things that are God’s. This one believes in socking it to Caesar, or sucking up to Caesar, in God’s name. This is out-and-out flouting of the separation of Church and State, a thing expressly forbidden in a democracy. And yet we see no law stopping it, and yet we see only politicians seeking to profit from it.

Just as well, why do we allow a church to act according to the motto, We don’t care if he’s an SOB so long as he’s our SOB? At least we howled in pain when the Catholic Church acted that way. At least we roared in anger when the bishops started saying things like, “Everybody cheats, anyway,” and “Let’s move on.” Why the silence on this one? Because they’re smaller? Because they do things more quietly, preferring the backdoor to the front one? Well, they may be smaller or quieter, but actions speak louder than words."...
Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/29267/why-do-we-allow-this...

The answer to his question is simple: Because what we have in the country is a corrupt system of patronage politics as consequence of INC’s “undue influence in government”… TO BE CONTINUED.