VP Binay to Justice Secretary de Lima: Respect Iglesia ni Cristo

Vice President Jejomar Binay had a single piece of advice for embattled Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who has been the subject of an Iglesia ni Cristo rally attended by thousands of church members at the Department of Justice premises.

 

“Respetuhin natin iyong pagpo-protesta nila... They have to protect their faith. At saka sinisira iyong religious institution,” Binay said in a report on GMA's “24 Oras” aired Friday night.

 

Binay said that he sent a letter to De Lima asking her not to meddle in the internal affairs of the influential religious sector.

 

De Lima is looking into illegal detention charges filed by a former Iglesia ni Cristo minister Isaias Samson Jr. against the sect's officials. Iglesia officials have denied that Samson was detained or harassed by its members. 

De Lima has said that she is only doing her job in investigating Samson's allegations.

Poe: There are other cases to focus on

 

Meanwhile, Sen. Grace Poe also said De Lima has some explaining to do regarding the issue.

 

“Bakit ang tutok doon samantalang halimbawa iyong mga ibang kaso ng gobyerno wala naman silang witnesses pa na naka-hold?” she said.

 

“Tinatanong ko mayroon na ba kayong nakuha sa Mamasapano massacre. Mayroon na raw mga inimbistigahan pero wala pa namang naka witness protection,” she added.

The Iglesia ni Cristo have been calling for respect of the separation of Church and State, which the 1987 Constitution guarantees. Under the Constitution, the government cannot pass laws to establish a state religion or to curtail the freedom to practice religion.

 

Binay was in Zamboanga del Norte where he reached out to locals, including fellow members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. 

 

He also did not miss out on slamming the Aquino administration again for its supposed shortcomings particularly in addressing the heavy traffic, particularly in Metro Manila.

 

“Five years ka nandiyan. Hindi niyo ba pinagaralan yan, hindi niyo ba pinaghandaan yan? That's the kind of management we are experiencing from the current administration,” he said.
— Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News