PNoy visits Iglesia ni Cristo amid reported lobbying for Corona acquittal

Published May 21, 2012 10:44am

(Updated 6 p.m.) President Benigno Aquino III paid a visit to the Iglesia ni Cristo headquarters in Quezon City on Monday amid reports that the religious group was lobbying for the acquittal of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The meeting took place at a crucial juncture in the impeachment proceedings, with Corona scheduled to testify at the Senate on Tuesday as the final witness of the defense team. The senator-judges have vowed to finish the trial before they go on recess in June.

In Malacañang, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda confirmed that Aquino met with Iglesia ni Cristo executive minister Eduardo Manalo. He said Corona’s impeachment trial was one of the topics taken up by Aquino and Manalo.

“The impeachment was discussed because it’s one of the burning issues of the day. The President explained to Ka Eduardo the reasons for the impeachment–that this is part of his reform agenda,” the presidential spokesperson said.

The only clue of the visit was the presence of Presidential Security Group members at the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple along Commonwealth Avenue early Monday. Aquino's convoy left the INC Central Temple at 9:47 a.m., according to a report by radio dzBB's Allan Gatus.

Lacierda said the meeting was “previously scheduled” but pushed through only on Monday, as it was the only time Aquino and Manalo could find a common schedule.

“Before the Holy Week pa, there was already a planned meeting with Ka Eduardo. Unfortunately, the schedule of the President and the schedule of Ka Eduardo could not jibe," Lacierda said during a briefing Monday afternoon. "The purpose of the President’s meeting was to touch base with Ka Eduardo and the INC,” he added.

INC lobbying for acquittal?

Aquino's visit came two days after the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the religious group was lobbying for the acquittal of Corona. Palace officials declined to comment on the report.

In Monday's briefing, Lacierda said the meeting at the INC had “nothing to do” with the newspaper report about the alleged lobbying for Corona’s acquittal.

“Talagang walang kaugnayan doon po sa headline na lumabas. Tulad ng sinabi po natin, ito pong meeting nila ay [plinano] pa po ‘nung Semana Santa. That’s the plain and simple truth,” Lacierda said.

Senators not approached

Also on Monday, at least five senators denied being approached by any representative of Iglesia ni Cristo, purportedly to discuss Corona's fate. Former Supreme Court justice Serafin Cuevas, Corona's lead defense counsel, is a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. The INC's bloc vote during elections is estimated at 5 to 8 million. The religious group supported Aquino's candidacy in 2010.

Aquino has been openly critical of Corona even before he assumed the country’s top post. He chose not to take his oath of office before Corona, branding the chief justice as a “midnight appointee” of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Corona has repeatedly said his impeachment is an act of retaliation on the part of President Aquino after the Supreme Court ordered the distribution of Hacienda Luisita, which belongs to the clan of the President's mother, to farmer-beneficiaries. Aquino has firmly denied Corona's accusation. — with Andreo Calonzo/KG/RSJ/VS/YA, GMA News

Tags: coronaimpeachment, renatocorona, iglesianicristo, benignoaquinoiii