De Lima: I’m not resigning; no deal with Iglesia ni Cristo

September 1, 2015 Philippine Local News Iglesia Ni Cristo • Leila de Lima

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said she is not resigning and there was no deal struck with the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo.

In an ambush interview at her office on Tuesday morning, De Lima initially declined to issue any statement, waving off reporters and saying “no statement.” Later on she acceded to answering a few questions.

“Will I be here if I’m resigning? I’m back at work. There’s a lot of work to do after the holidays,” she said.

Iglesia ni Cristo called for her resignation because of her alleged intrusion in the internal affairs of the group.

De Lima also denied there was a deal struck with the Iglesia ni Cristo which was the reason why the group stood down and stopped their five-day rally.

The group launched the protest action days after expelled member Isaias Samson Jr. filed a criminal complained before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against members of the Iglesia ni Cristo’s Sanggunian for allegedly harassing and illegally detaining him and his family.

The Iglesia ni Cristo alleged that De Lima was behind Samson’s filing of the criminal complaint.

The group started their protest action on Thursday last week, in front of the DOJ compound along Padre Faura Street in Manila. They moved to EDSA on Friday and voluntarily dispersed on Monday morning.

This was after Iglesia ni Cristo general evangelist Bienvenido Santiago announced that they were ending the protest action after a meeting with the government.

“Nagkausap na po ang panig ng Iglesia ni Cristo at panig ng pamahalaan at sa pag-uusap na ito ay nagkapaliwanagan na po ang magkabilang panig,” Santiago in a recorded message aired over radio dzBB.

“Kaya payapa na po ang lahat. Itong isinasagawa nating mapayapang pagtitipion ay natatapos na po nang mapayapa rin ngayon pong Lunes ng umaga.”

In a radio dzBB interview on Monday night, expelled Iglesia ni Cristo member Isaias Samson Jr. reiterated his camp’s call for Malacañang to divulge details of its meeting with officials of the religious sect.

“Ang amin po sanang pakiusap ay maging transparent ang Palasyo, ang Malacañang, doon sa naging agreement kung mayroon man,” Samson said.

Samson’s lawyers feared that their case will be dismissed as a result of the meeting between the Iglesia ni Cristo and the government.

De Lima hints of Senate run

On Thursday, De Lima, on her 56th birthday, stopped short of a categorical declaration that she will run for the Senate in 2016 but wished her friends and supporters to continue helping her in the journey to the “next higher level… like from point J to point S.”

Vice President Jejomar Binay’s camp, meanwhile, said De Lima should resign from her post for supposedly prioritizing her political ambition over the filing of charges against those involved in the pork barrel scam and the Mamasapano massacre.

Lawmakers have called on Cabinet members with plans to run in the 2016 elections to resign from their posts.

Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, a member of the independent minority bloc in the House of Representatives, said Cabinet officials eyeing to join the elections should resign now “out of delicadeza” (sense of propriety) instead of having their work take a backseat to their efforts to further their political ambitions.

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero also urged Cabinet officials who are certain of their plans to run for office next year to quit their posts now so they can avoid accusations of using public funds to further their political ambitions.

Source: GMA News