Distortions

I write on behalf of the Iglesia ni Cristo and of Sis. Baby-Lynn V. Manalo, wife of the Executive Minister of the Church, Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo.

On August 1, 2015, an article “Leader’s wife causing rift in INC?” was published in your newspaper and on your official website. It has been shared many times on numerous news and social media sites ever since. The subject article was authored by one Robertzon Ramirez.

The article came to us as a great shock, to say the least. It accused Sis. Baby-Lynn of planning to establish a new religious sect out of the already established Iglesia ni Cristo. She was even referred to as the “boss” of our Church Council. The article even puts into question the legitimacy of our Executive Minister himself.

All of these are distortions of the truth. It pains us that Mr. Ramirez relied solely on a singular undisclosed source in coming up with his write-up. He exerted no effort at all to contact the current administration of the Church, any member of its Church Council, nor interview a respectable sampling of the Church membership nor locale congregation members and attendants in the more than 5,000 locales of the Iglesia ni Cristo.

This, we believe, is a blatant disregard of the journalists’ code of ethics.

We thus urged your kind office to look deeply into this matter and make the proper corrections to the misrepresentations made in Mr. Ramirez’ article.

We do look forward to your prompt response and utmost attention to our request. — Theoben Jerdan C. Orosa, INC Legal Counsel