11 US missionaries nabbed for ‘illegal preaching’

Thou shalt not preach without a missionary visa.

This was the "11th commandment" learned by 11 American religious pastors after their arrest by immigration agents for preaching their faith here without the proper visas.

Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo said the preachers without portfolio were rounded up at their place of worship on No. 15 Baker st., Filinvest East Subdivision in Antipolo City.

They were identified as Shawn and Melissa Sulzener, Chris and Betsy Costanza, Bryan Roth, Brian Flores, Michael Peoples, Chad Manbeck, Kevin Alexander, David McClanahan and Matt Braucher, all claiming to be pastors of the congregation known as the Metro Manila Baptist Church.

The 11 are now detained at the immigration jail in Intramuros pending deportation proceedings that will be initiated against them for illegally working in the country.

Domingo said the spreaders of the good news arrived here as mere tourists and did not apply for missionary visas required of foreign missionaries preaching in the Philippines.

Under the Immigration Act, aliens who come here for the purpose of carrying on the vocation of a minister or as a worker of a certain religious denomination are required to secure the pertinent visa from the Bureau of Immigration.

She added that a check with the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges based in Ohio revealed that the Shepherd School of Ministry of New Philadelphia, which the pastors claim to represent, is not accredited by the association.

Investigation revealed that the foreign preachers were the subject of a deportation complaint filed by one Charles Lestones, a former member of the congregation who worked as a full-time pastor of the church.

Lestones said he was forced to quit from the congregation out of disappointment over the failure of his fellow pastors to comply with Philippine laws by applying for a missionary visa.

It was also learned that the activities of the foreign pastors had drawn complaints from local residents in Antipolo who resented the unceremonious solicitation of donations from church members.