Iglesia ni Cristo members stage rally at DOJ, block De Lima’s convoy

Hundreds of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo gathered in front of the Department of Justice on Thursday to protest what they indicated was Justice Secretary Leila De Lima's meddling in the internal affairs of the religious grou.

The DOJ is looking into the illegal detention and other charges a dismissed minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo has filed against members of its leadership.

The crowd started to pour in during the afternoon and, according to a report on GMA News' "24 Oras," more Iglesia ni Cristo members continued to gather in front of the DOJ compound in the early evening.

A stage was also being put up at the site around 6:30 p.m., indicating that a program has been planned for the evening. More people were expected to be at the site during the night.

The demonstrators sang the Birthday Song for De Lima who celebrated her 56th birthday but there was tension at the DOJ gate when the crowd blocked her convoy as it tried to leave the premises before 5 p.m.

The convoy backed up after the crowd rendered Padre Faura Street impassable.

Police told GMA News the justice secretary could have left the DOJ through another exit.

The Manila City Hall gave a permit for the Iglesia ni Cristo to hold a rally.

The camp of expelled Iglesia ni Cristo minister Isaias Samson Jr. said the rally at the DOJ was a move that aimed to pressure government officials to favor the Iglesia ni Cristo leaders implicated in the case.

In a statement, Samson's camp on Thursday said the religious group was performing a show of force to turn the tide into their favor.

“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,” the statement read.

The statement comes in response to the Iglesia rally after Samson filed illegal detention, harassment and coercion cases against members of the Iglesia's Sanggunian over the DOJ on Tuesday.

The charges were directed against 8 members of the Sanggunian including Glicerio Santos Jr. whom Santos claims was among those responsible for kidnapping him.

“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,'” the statement said.

Samson's camp said he was expelled after he was suspected by the Sanggunian of revealing the alleged corrupt practices of the Iglesia ni Cristo.

Samson also retracted his earlier statement and said he was forced to deny the claims of Tenny and Angel Manalo, the relatives of Iglesia Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo.

Tenny and Angel Manalo released a video that asked for help last July, claiming they were in danger and some ministers were abducted. The Iglesia ni Cristo denied all these allegations. —Andrei Medina/NB, GMA News