‘Allegations against INC all hearsay’

MANILA, Philippines - The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) maintained that the allegations against the religious sect hurled by its expelled ministers are “all hearsay and without any evidence.”

In a statement sent to The STAR over the weekend, INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said INC leaders have been victims of “sustained and deliberately planned efforts to besmirch their reputation, sow division within the church, and consequently discredit it in the eyes of the public.”

After the much-publicized but failed attempts to file criminal charges against the INC leadership, the INC’s detractors “are less concerned now with proving their charges in court, as their focus is simply to use the media to sow public distrust and internal discord by making fantastic, baseless allegations anchored on hearsay,” he added.

Zabala pointed out that the latest accusations of former INC minister Vincent Florida were “perfect examples of how statements that would be thrown out in court have become the bases for damaging news reports.”

Florida alleged last week that there were irregularities in the handling of financial contributions in the US, with INC leaders involved in supposedly smuggling of funds on private planes owned by the INC to banks in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands to avoid the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Florida also claimed that as a result of these irregularities, he had reported involved INC officials to the IRS.