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Angel Manalo, 26 others face raps for illegal possession of firearms


Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo, brother of Iglesia ni Cristo Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, and 26 others have been charged for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, the Quezon City police said Sunday.

In a radio dzBB interview, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar said that the police filed complaints against Angel and his co-accused because they were subjects of a search warrant over indiscriminate firing at the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) compound in Tandang Sora.

"Sila po ay [nakasuhan] ng illegal possession of firearms...," Eleazar told dzBB.

Aside from the illegal possession charges, two of the co-accused—Jonathan Ledesma and Joseph Sabbacula—will also face frustrated murder and direct assault charges for shooting and wounding two Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel.

"Ito po yung mga kasamahan nila na responsible sa pagbaril at pagkakasugat sa mga kasamahan namin. Kung matatandaan natin, during the implementation of the search warrant sinalubong ng putok yung dalawa naming kasamahan na nag-cause sa pagkasugat nila," he said.

Authorities brought Angel, his sister Lolita Manalo-Hemedez, and the other suspects to the QCPD headquarters in Camp Karingal last Thursday for investigation.  

Eleazar said one of the injured SWAT personnel, who was hit in the abdomen, is under observation at the St. Luke's Medical Center.

The Manalo family's feud surfaced in 2015 during the INC's 101st founding anniversary when Angel sought help from the public, saying their lives were in danger. 

The INC later expelled Angel and the family's matriarch, Cristina "Tenny" Manalo, for allegedly sowing disharmony among INC members.

Eleazar said that Angel and the other suspects are still detained at the QCPD's Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit.

"Maghihintay po kami bukas, Monday, ng magiging disposition ng Office of the City Prosecutor kung tuloy-tuloy na yung kasong isasampa laban sa kanila o kung anuman ang kanilang magiging initial na desisyon kung sila ay pakakawalan," he said. —LBG, GMA News

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