MANILA, Philippines - Some survivors of deadly super typhoon "Yolanda" in hard-hit Tacloban City said an undamaged Iglesia ni Cristo church sheltered them at the height of the tragedy.
"Akala namin hindi lalaki yung tubig. Mabuti naman may kapilya d'yan, kung wala disgrasya talaga kaming lahat," Tacloban resident Felix Simeon said in a televised interview over Net 25.
A couple of days after the typhoon destroyed a majority of the homes and buildings in Tacloban city, rumors spread online claiming that administrators of an undamaged Iglesia ni Cristo worship building refused to shelter non-members.
"Binuksan naman kami ng mga kasamahan ninyo, maraming salamat na ligtas kami. Nakakahiya na ligtas kami," an unidentified female survivor recounted in the video.
The rumors stemmed from a report by a certain Mai Militante on Facebook that some victims were turned out by Iglesia members from the building in the aftermath of the typhoon.
"Story of our staff from the typhoon Yolanda incident: It was still raining and they were soaking wet, hungry, tired and dead scared. They stopped and thought they could rest at the church of Iglesia ni Cristo. But people from that church told them they cannot because they are not members," Militante said.
Net 25 is a terrestrial television station under the Eagle Broadcasting Corporation running religious programs of the Iglesia ni Cristo.