‘Mukhang guilty’: Dismissed Iglesia Ni Cristo minister slams picket of believers outside DOJ

Politics.com - The camp of dismissed Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) minister Isaias Samson Jr. sneered at the rally held by members of the church identified with the camp of Sanggunian head Ka Glicerio Santos Jr. outside the Department of Justice (DOJ) Thursday afternoon.

Samson’s counsel, Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, said the rally reeks of “irrationality and non-responsiveness” since it happened at the heels of the former minister’s decision to file a case against Santos and the rest of the Sanggunian, a council of ranking church officials, for illegal detention.

“Instead of answering the allegations at preliminary investigation, they immediately call out the Department of Justice officials as being biased, based solely on their perception that the mere docketing of the case at the main office is already proof of said ‘selective justice.’ And instead of seeking recourse with the courts, they resort to what they think will be the equivalent of public pressure,” Cruz-Angeles said.

Contrary to Santos’ camp’s claim, the lawyer said there has yet to surface any indication of bias on the DOJ’s part because the investigation hasn’t started.

The complaint was only filed on August 25 and notices for hearings have been sent out, Cruz-Angeles pointed out.

Samson has alleged that he and his family were detained on the orders of Santos and the Sanggunian after they suspected him of blogging about the alleged corrupt practices of the church’s council of elders.

While Santos’ camp believe they’re doing the right thing by decrying the DOJ’s alleged brand of selective justice, Cruz-Angeles said the stunt only makes them “look like bullies at the gate demanding that the DOJ rule in a certain way – THEIR way.”

“They fail to see that they aren’t demanding justice, they are demanding special privileges. Particularly since their demand is made even BEFORE any investigation has commenced,” she said.

Cruz-Angeles said the rally of believers appear to be yet another strategy by the Sanggunian to put a gag order on members who are dissatisfied with how the church is being run by Santos and his group.

“Mr. Glicerio Santos and his co-conspirators sought to silence the growing discontent of the church members with terror tactics, fueling the suspicions of their less than honorable intentions and actions with church funds. This so-called rally is no different. They do not seek justice. They seek silence, one

that is achieved by gagging legitimate concerns,” she said.

“As the saying goes, ‘mukhang guilty,'” the lawyer added.

The Iglesia ni Cristo’s rally outside the DOJ coincided with the birthday of Justice Sec. Leila de Lima, who has directed the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the alleged illegal detention of Samson and other ministers of the church.

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