Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) votes as a herd in elections, but it never dips its fingers in politics, a member of the religious sect said Sunday.
Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, an INC follower, said he was 鈥渙ffended鈥� and 鈥渙utraged鈥� by the Inquirer鈥檚 report on Saturday that INC officials had been seeing senators to lobby for the acquittal of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.
鈥淓xcept to vote as one during elections in accordance with our fundamental beliefs, we do not intervene in politics, and it is offensive to say otherwise,鈥� said Topacio, a lawyer for Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Topacio said that while he was not authorized to speak for INC, 鈥淚 believe I speak for most of the brethren who are outraged that the church was placed in a bad light on the basis of unsubstantiated rumors. We wished that the Inquirer would have left the church out of the disinformation and psychological warfare campaigns being waged in connection with the Corona impeachment trial.鈥�
The Inquirer reported that INC officials Dan Orosa and Resty Lazaro had met discreetly with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada during the monthlong Lenten break of Congress to plead the case of Corona, whom INC followers supported.
A legislative source told the Inquirer that two other associates鈥擬anny Cuevas and Victor Cheng鈥攈ad been requesting to meet with other senators in recent days to lobby them for Corona鈥檚 acquittal.
The source said the INC emissaries were going for members of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), a coalition between the PDP-Laban party of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) of former President Joseph Estrada.
Enrile, president of UNA, declined to be interviewed on the report, his staff said. His deputy in the Senate, Estrada, said he had not been approached.
鈥楥ome out鈥�
Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco, UNA secretary general, issued a statement Sunday saying no emissary from INC had contacted senators belonging to the coalition to plead for Corona鈥檚 acquittal.
Tiangco decried the legislative source鈥檚 hiding behind anonymity while trying to 鈥渂esmirch the reputation of both INC and UNA.鈥�
鈥淐ould this be a relative of Congressman [Reynaldo] Umali鈥檚 small lady or Congressman [Jorge] Banal鈥檚 gate-to-gate courier service?鈥� Tiangco asked.
He urged the source to come out in the open.
鈥淎ren鈥檛 we honorable men?鈥� Tiangco said. 鈥淐ome into the light Mr. Congressional Source and prove that you鈥檙e an honorable man.鈥�
Senators reached for comment said no INC emissaries had contacted them.
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III doubted that INC had sent people out to lobby the senators to vote for Corona鈥檚 acquittal. 鈥淔or all you know, their (INC鈥檚) name is only being used,鈥� Sotto said.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., a political adviser to President Aquino, also doubted that INC was lobbying for Corona鈥檚 acquittal.
He said on Saturday that while Corona would use 鈥渁ll available political levers, even calling upon political debts鈥� to tilt the balance in his favor, he doubted whether the emissaries were deployed by the INC leaders.
No surprise
On Sunday, a party-list lawmaker said INC had always been known to be intervening in the country鈥檚 political affairs that reports of its meddling in the Corona impeachment came as no surprise.
鈥淩eligious leaders can preach, they can give spiritual guidance, they can comment on moral matters, they should convert sinner politicians and lead them to the path of goodness. But it鈥檚 unholy behavior if they use the sacred power of their church or sect to impose their dogmas on how leaders draft, debate, and vote on public policies,鈥� said Kabataan Rep. Raymond Palatino.
鈥淭his is one divine intervention which we can live without, it鈥檚 anathema in a true and vibrant democratic, secular society,鈥� Palatino said.
鈥淧oliticians must listen to the demands of the religious constituency, but there are other voices, views which they must consider too. They should ignore threats of election backlash,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he religious vote is overrated, anyway.鈥�