INC airs support for Marcoleta, hits 'selective justice'

MANILA, Philippines — The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) on Tuesday said it supports Sen. Rodante Marcoleta who may be charged with plunder, and that it rejects “selective justice” and the “distortion of law” as thousands of rallyists gathered at the Edsa People Power Monument.

“The Iglesia ni Cristo supports what Senator Marcoleta stands for because it is also our position. We call for transparency, accountability, justice, and peace,” INC Spokesperson Bro. Edwil Zabala said in Filipino in a Net 25 livestream.

He did not, however, directly state whether or not the Edsa rally is being held for Marcoleta.

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“That is why we want the authorities to hear this: Even if they imprison Senator Marcoleta, we will not stop demanding justice for our fellow Filipinos who have been robbed,” Zabala added.

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The statement comes as Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday said that the Office of the Ombudsman was set to file a non-bailable plunder case against Marcoleta before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the P75 million in campaign donations case.

The religious group said Marcoleta had led an investigation into the flood control probe that exposed many others when he was still chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and continued pursuing the matter even after he was replaced as committee chair.

“What we find puzzling is why the very person who has been pushing to expose those allegedly involved in this massive theft from the Filipino people is now the one being charged and imprisoned, instead of those he exposed,” Zabala, reading INC’s statement, said.

The INC also noted that plunder is a non-bailable offense, arguing that the complaint would prevent Marcoleta from continuing his efforts to expose those allegedly involved in anomalies.

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Questioning the basis of the complaint, the church said campaign donations accepted by Marcoleta did not come from government funds.

It also cited a Commission on Elections ruling which found that no crime had been committed in Marcoleta’s acceptance of campaign donations.

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The religious organization likewise denounced what it described as “selective justice.”

“We want them to know that selective justice is an injustice, and we will not remain silent in the face of this grave assault on the justice that our people deserve,” Zabala added. /gsg

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