Bottles filled with urine seen on roof of DOJ building

MANILA, Philippines - Five plastic bottles filled with urine were found yesterday morning on the roof of a building near the main gate Department of Justice (DOJ) in Ermita, Manila.

A DOJ officer, who requested anonymity, said that janitors doing their routine chores discovered two plastic bottles on the roof of the DOJ security office and three more bottles on the roof of the DOJ Action Center.

The official suspects that the plastic bottles with urine were hurled on the roof by some members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) that staged a vigil outside the DOJ compound along Padre Faura street  on Thursday until Friday to protest the alleged bias of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima against the religious group.

De Lima had earlier said the DOJ would conduct an investigation into the alleged serious illegal detention of an INC minister who was expelled by the church council or Sanggunian.

The INC members assembled at the DOJ to protest the supposed unfair treatment of De Lima over the charges of harassment, illegal detention, threats and coercion filed by expelled minister Isaias Samson Jr. and his family against leaders of the church.

INC officials have questioned the “extraordinary attention” given by the DOJ chief on the case of Samson when she has not given the same attention to the case against Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels for the killing of the 44 police Special Action Force (SAF) members during the encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January.

In response, De Lima said she was just doing her job.

The DOJ officer said janitors clean the leaves that fall on the DOJ roof every Saturday, but when they went up the roof yesterday they found the bottles of urine. A janitor said he was sure it was urine because he smelled it.

The roof also smelled of urine, raising suspicion that some of the protesters might have gone up to the roof to urinate. Janitors also recovered five streamers and pieces of wood, which might have been used by the INC for their banners. One of the banners read, “Kapag nakalalabag ang batas, tiyak may mag-aaklas (If the law is violated, someone will rise up).”

They also noticed that the INC members damaged the box of the Maynilad water meter located outside the DOJ building.

Officials said the perimeter wall of the DOJ smelled bad after the two-day protest.

More than 1,000 INC members joined the vigil at the DOJ and the protesters transferred last Friday night to the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City to the continue their protest against De Lima.