Iglesia ni Cristo members continue vigil in front DOJ for 2nd day

(Update 9:59 a.m.) Members of Iglesia ni Cristo continued for the second day their vigil in front of the Department of Justice's compound in Manila on Friday.

 

Radio dzBB's Cecil Villarosa tweeted shortly before 8 a.m. that Padre Faura Street was still filled with Iglesia ni Cristo members.

 

Some of the protesters held placards saying "Huwag pakialaman ang relihiyon, labag ito sa Konstitusyon."

 

PHOTO: Pagtitipon ng mga miyembro ng Iglesia ni Cristo sa Padre Faura @dzbb pic.twitter.com/iFSFfhTOyh

— Cecil Villarosa (@CecilVillarosa) August 27, 2015

 

Radio dzBB reported that at least 3,000 Iglesia ni Cristo members have joined the vigil.

The Iglesia ni Cristo members were protesting Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's what they call as "meddling" with the internal affairs of the religious sect for ordering an investigation into the alleged abductions of its members.

 

Majority of the protesters have been in the area since the vigil started Thursday.

 

Some of them brought enough food last night to last until this morning. 

As of this posting, Padre Faura Street was still closed to vehicles.

 

A report on GMA News' Unang Balita said the vigil might last until this weekend, though Iglesia ni Cristo officials have yet to confirm this.

 

The vigil came after former Iglesia ni Cristo member Isaias Samson filed a complaint against the religious sect's officials for allegedly harassing and illegally detaining him and his family.

 

"Ang pagsusulong ng reklamong inihain ni Isaias Samson ay napag-alaman namin na nagawa sa ilalim ng pamamatnubay ni Secretary de Lima sapagkat labis at 'di pangkaraniwan ang atensyong iniukol niya," the church's general evangelist Bienvenido Santiago said in an audio-visual presentation, part of which was shown in a "Saksi" report on Thursday night.

 

The protesters were given a permit by the Manila City government and have permission to gather in the area until Friday.

 

The Manila Police District office has sent men to secure the area. —Bea Montenegro/ALG, GMA News