Leader’s wife causing rift in INC?

MANILA, Philippines - The conflict in the family that leads the influential religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo began even before INC former executive minister Eraño “Ka Erdy” Manalo died in August 2009, an insider said.

The insider recounted that before Eraño died of cardiopulmonary arrest, he allegedly had a misunderstanding with his eldest son Eduardo, the incumbent INC executive minister.

“From what I know, Ka Erdy found out that Ka Eddie’s wife Babylyn was planning to organize a new Iglesia. They were previously evicted from the central office [after the incident],” the source said.

“Ka Babylyn is one of the reasons for this conflict. She is the ally of the Sanggunian (church council) and from what I know, she is their boss,” the source added.

The insider also said that the conflict was one of the reasons Eduardo was rarely seen at the wake of his father.

Eraño died in the arms of Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo, younger brother of Eduardo. Before Eraño died, he told Angel to take care of the INC and all their people, a situation that Angel allegedly thought was his anointment.

There was a rumor that Angel was allegedly trying to take the leadership from Eduardo, but the source clarified that Angel does not want power “because he loves his brother.” Angel only wanted Eduardo to listen to him and “clean the corrupt” practices of the INC council.

But who should be the INC executive minister remains a question.

“We don’t know who would really lead the INC. In 1999, Ka Eduardo was appointed as the deputy executive minister, but Ka Erdy took it away from him when he discovered that his son’s wife was trying to establish a new religious sect,” the source disclosed.

From then on, the conflicts among the Manalo siblings have gotten worse, the insider recounted.

A short video posted on YouTube showed that Angel and his sister Lolita “Lottie” Manalo-Hemedez went to the INC Central Office in February to personally talk to Eduardo through the office of Rene Panoncillo, head of the INC human resource department. But they were told to go home.

“I talked to Ka Gerry and he coordinated with Ka Eduardo. The order of Ka Eduardo was, if you want to obey, you should go home. That’s all he said,” Panoncillo, who was caught on surveillance camera, disclosed.

The source said that Angel had been attempting to talk to Eduardo since 2014, but the “Sanggunian was blocking and doing everything” for him not to see his brother. – With Janvic Mateo