Much Maligned Preacher Wins Over Distinguished Author in International Open Web Awards
A victim of religious persecution and disinformation, the preacher exiles himself to continue preaching in South America. Deprived of his own home country, he started blogging to aid his preaching. His truth blog makes a mark among the counted in Mashable International – one that did not pay attention to disinformation that scattered all over the Internet.
By Jake Astudillo
Manila, Philippines, (01/18/2010) – If things are played fair, we can always win. These were the words of the man for whom justice had long been elusive.
Bro. Eliseo Soriano, Filipino preacher on exile, felt vindicated by an award given him by an international social media site that did not pay attention to disinformation about him scattered all over the Internet.
Soriano easily beat Paulo Coelho, the Portuguese famous author in the 3rd Mashable Open web awards competition of 2009.
Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable.com, in an e-mail to Ang Dating Daan or The Old Path, the congregation lead by Soriano said, http://www.esoriano.wordpress.com takes its place among the top 50 websites and services of the year, having won the ‘Most Educational to Follow’ category in the Open Web Awards 2009.
Cashmore said the Mashable team, dealt with over 440,000 nominations with over 70,000 nominees and over 780,000 votes for the recent Open Web Awards. Mashable.com, an international social media site, partnered with Motorola this year to bring the 3rd Annual Open Web Awards: Social Media Edition. Reports show that past winners of this international competition include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and iGoogle, to name a few.
In terms of written works, and literary reputation, Soriano is no match to Paulo Coelho.
Coelho began blogging in 2003, four years ahead of Soriano. Coelho could write as much as 186 in a month. It was in 2007 that that he jacked up his batting average, the same time that Bro. Soriano just opened his blog. By competition time, Coelho had written 3, 224. He also had forums on the spiritual or biblical just like the preacher. Coelho had 219,056 followers and 5,743 were listed. Soriano did not reflect his number of followers.
Apparently, it was not quantity of posts that mattered in the competition. Bro. Soriano posted a measly number: 117 posts from April 2007 to December 2009. The most that he could write in a month was 26 in July 2007 since his work involved traveling to the untamed regions of South America to preach. His blog, however, is pregnant with interaction, mostly on issues of truth.
Coelho’s forums included questions like the following: Do you think man is intrinsically bad? Do you think sex is dominating the human civilization? Do you think you’re following your personal legend? How do you interpret Adam’s experience? What do you think about reincarnation? Why are we born if we have to die? These were some of his forums.
Meanwhile, the posts of Preacher Soriano include: Will God Contradict Himself? Not everything is Possible with God. God is Not Everywhere. Perfect Justice in God’s Perfect Time. Karl Marx’s Unwise Definition of Religion. The Covenant on the Fleshy Tables of the Heart. The Imprudent Freedom to Question Free Will.
While Coelho’s posts remained pondering over many things, Soriano was assertive – just with the Bible as his reference.
There are bizarre similarities between Soriano and Coelho. Both of them were born in the same year. Paulo Coelho was born August 24, 1947 (1947-08-24) (age 62) while Eliseo Soriano was born April 7, 1947 (age 62). Both of them are from the same place in the same continent – South America to be exact. They dealt closely about the same topics.
The difference, however, between them is great. Coelho is a distinguished author. Soriano is unschooled formally. Though fearless, the preacher is much maligned and persecuted. To this day, he had exiled himself in order to continue preaching worldwide. Justice in the Philippines to him was scant and not within reach. Moreover, many bad things were written about Soriano.
The preacher’s bio in Wikipedia appears more as a list of accusations than a description of the man. They were the result of his work as preacher where he had to do the things no one wants to do: tell the truth and nothing but. None had the guts to expose false teachings and defend truth as Soriano does. Called the most sensible preacher of our time, his audience had evolved from just the Filipinos to include other nationalities.
Coelho therefore was made famous for his literary works. Soriano on his part was popularized by vicious media out to get his neck for things he had said against powerful groups. They were able to attach “rape” to his name, as is the practice of some bent on destroying a personality.
Reports on Coelho show that he radically wrote from the other side of truth. His first book was Hell Archives. In 1985, he contributed to the Practical Manual of Vampirism and the following year, he wrote The Pilgrimage. In 1987, he wrote The Alchemist. This is the book that got Coelho famous. It was translated in 68 languages, and published in 150 countries, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. The novel exploited the theme of looking for one’s dream in other lands only to find it in one’s home.
The backpage of the novel, “The winner stands alone” written by Coelho says Coelho was named United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2007.
In contrast, Soriano was not schooled by the universities of men. He studied by himself with just the bible as his book. He grew up to be a principled preacher and the most learned man when it comes to biblical matters. In debates, no one could beat him.
For 45 years preaching the word of God, he had become an expert on matters of Christian living and salvation that his preaching had changed many lives. Known as the nemesis of false preachers, he had attracted many enemies far and wide. One by one, anyone claiming to be appointed by God to prophesy, much more to be the son of God, Soriano would challenge and expose. Later on, he would reap many cases filed in court due to his mouth. Nevertheless, he feared no one as long as truth was involved, no matter that people tore him to pieces. He remained as “appointed messenger of God” to millions of those who believed in his preaching due to his unequalled understanding of biblical truth, reaping another moniker, “Truthcaster.” Today, he maintains a program by that name.
A book review on The Alchemist, Coelho’s famous book, said, “Perhaps this is the secret of Coelho’s success: that he tells people what they want to hear, or rather that he tells them what they wish for but never thought possible could even be probable.” In contrast, Soriano is about telling the truth, no matter how bitter.
Preacher Soriano had disappeared from his own country in 2005 but like a turtle thrown to the water, he appears through satellite systems still preaching to the world. Religious persecution forced him to use as much technology as possible. He continued on with his work of preaching to the consternation of his enemies. They declared to the public that his congregation had dissolved while he, in turn, ran away from crimes – all of which were lies peddled by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members led by Rizalino L. Arrabis, a retired US Navy man based in Guam.
Bro. Eli as he is called, had difficulties then in residence. In 2007, he started his blog, using it to further his preaching purposes and to reach out to those asking questions. It is this blog, http://www.esoriano.wordpress.com that had won as the most educational to follow in the 3rd Mashable Open web awards competition of 2009.
Soriano was fair game to Philippine media with connections to those whose interests were being risked. He was humiliated by them who were able to post his bio in the Interpol’s wanted list. Soriano had excommunicated a self-confessed rapist, Daniel “Puto” Veridiano, from his congregation but the rapist joined the forces of the powerful INC. In the end, the tables were turned: Soriano is being accused as the rapist (“sex crimes”) while the rapist turns the complainant with all the support of the INC in tow.
With malice or not, the Interpol posting did more to introduce Bro. Eli to the world, thanks to the influence of his enemies in the Philippine government. It is public knowledge that the INC practiced bloc voting and had the power to make and unmake kings. As a result, while persecuting the preacher, they had ironically given him avenues to become an international evangelist in the real sense. That Interpol posting was blunted to the core. Positive media competed with disinformation and the public had more chances to evaluate who is telling the truth. That the preacher remains free to this day despite the lot of disinformation created by the INC is something truth has to answer.
In South America, many preachers had been converted to the congregation that Soriano led – the Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path). More and more lives are being converted as a result of this work. Learning of the dangers that the preacher faced, some military men promised to take care of the evangelist while he preached openly. The INC may be powerful in the Philippines but not in other countries.
Unlike Coelho, Soriano defended God and the bible, truly interpreting his role as commissioner for biblical truth. He taught the bible from cover to cover and unlocked many mysteries like one can drink from an ever-flowing spring. The preacher is an educator of a different breed that many come to his blog to ask questions of all kinds. With just the bible as his reference, Soriano is one educator unequalled of all time. Until today, there is no program in the world that equals his “Ask Soriano, the bible answers.”
In tracking Mashable awards, records show that Eli Soriano was not even in the list of 500 top nominated individuals, tools, and organizations as posted by Sharon Feder. Feder said, “With just two days left in the nominations period we thought it would be appropriate to take a look at 500 of the current leaders in the competition’s 50 categories each selected by you, our readers. Add your voice to this list by nominating your favorites…”
Evan as Ben Parr of Mashable announced the short list of 10 nominees to each category, Soriano’s name was not there. On the other hand, Paulo Coelho was nominated in two categories: “Most Educational to Follow” and “Most Inspiring to Follow.”
By the time Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable, announced the full list of finalists (the short list of 5), Esoriano.wordpress.com made it to the category of “Most Educational to Follow” while @Paulocoelho made it to “Most Inspiring to Follow.” Coelho had failed to make it in the first category.
On December 16, 2009, Pete Cashmore announced the winners and Eliseo Soriano was the only name found under the category, “Most Educational to Follow.” Meanwhile, for “Most Inspiring to Follow,” Paulo Coelho lost to LoraAndLayton. In the end, Coelho didn’t make it to either of the two categories.
A check on the site of LoraAndLayton shows that it is about “A Young Family Beating the Odds.” Meanwhile, on Soriano’s blog banner is written: “Celebrating 45 years of serving THE ALMIGHTY.” In contrast, nothing is written in the banner of Coelho except, “Paulo Coelho’s Blog.”
Mashable was reported to have carefully monitored situations and discounted all votes made from “fake” or “new” Twitter accounts, especially the ones that only had references to their voting.
It was not the first time Eliseo Soriano won an award for his truth blog. On February 2009, his blog was the People’s choice awardee in the 2009 Philippine Web Awards in the blog category. Moreover, that blog was the awardee for that year for the most popular website, besting all others in all categories.
If Philippine media preferred to keep distance from the preacher, it was mostly because of much ignorance about his true personality. Soriano was not concerned about what people thought of him more than he cared for his work. Media greatly ignored his existence but wrote about him in negatives. That Soriano is offering assistance to dependents of fallen journalists suddenly made great news though.
Up until now, the UNTV host maintained a dawn-to-dawn preaching with his Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) program that managed to gather more converts to his campaign to true Christianity. It is the first thing that early risers watched; it is also the last program that insomniacs watched. Outside the country, he had begun buying time from foreign stations to repeat the Philippine experience. In all, he stood as one from whom people kept asking questions from dawn to dawn. He only had one reference – the word of God.
First published in Quazen (Biography) on January 19, 2010
When Texts are Made Into Pictures: Desperate Morphing to Fool The Foolish
Intentional manipulation of data for selective perception to mislead the public and pre-judge the subject.
By Jake Astudillo
Manila, Philippines, (01/07/2010) -News is information about recent events. The reporter then is expected to relay it as objectively as he can in reproducing the event.
Videos can do the same thing but the reproduction of events is done through images. The objectivity is also expected to be there if the video is supposed to deal with information. That is the reason the images are not to be tampered with so that truth can be established.
The danger comes in when news is made into videos. As such, news is not text anymore as manipulation is done into its many parts. The structure is mangled and whatever truth it carries is morphed. It is now picture over text; however, the video comes in the guise of news. It is intentionally manipulated for selective perception to mislead the public and pre-judge the subject.
For example, some parts of the text are enlarged as the camera zooms in, and some are relegated to the background as fine print. Other elements come into play to satisfy the motive as text become pictures and put life into the otherwise neutral text. Sounds and motion complete the evil design. It is not anymore news that you watch but it gives the impression that it is so.
Being charged of a case, for example, is not equivalent to conviction. However, the author of such video cum news in the manipulation of text may mislead the public that it is so.
Take the case of the story written by Allison Lopez of the Philippine Daily Inquirer titled, “Ely Soriano charged with falsification of public document” (08/29/2008). It was made into a video presentation and is all over the Internet, planted in all possible sites like an advertisement.
The news report was very much underwritten. Much information was suppressed. And yet it was made into video.
The news reporter, Allison Lopez, could have done her work better she had exerted effort to learn more about “the raped man.” Was Daniel “Puto” Veridiano really raped? Wasn’t he the one who raped 14 of his officemates? Though he had admitted to only 9, many others claim Puto molested them over the years he was around. The Internet is there for Lopez to watch for some evidence, had she done her part.
Also, Allison Lopez had no background on this case that was dismissed but re-filed by Sec. of Justice Raul Gonzalez himself who is not in any way connected with the case. Lopez did not mention that. There were a lot she had suppressed.
The telltale spelling, “Ely,” is an INC trademark that does not hide Allison Lopez and her connections. INC stands for Iglesia ni Cristo that cannot sleep over the many revelations of the mouth that cannot stop: the mouth of Bro. Eliseo Soriano.
And for the man whom Allison Lopez claimed had fabricated documents, all the time since 2005, he was away from his country, the Philippines. How can he fabricate any document then?
Soriano is known as the nemesis of false preachers. Earning the ire of many who wanted to make money out of religion, he had come to a dangerous level: getting himself as Wanted Person in the Interpol site, at the same time being tagged with a ridiculous crime: “Sex crimes.” How that came to be is a puzzle, with so-called media men with INC connections playing the game of accuser and judge. It was only that the preacher stayed far away and went about his work in whatever forms technology could offer: He still preached via satellite wherever he was. But his enemies also worked. With him gone, they spread word that his congregation was fast dissipating but he proved them wrong.
While Soriano’s enemies kept saying he was on the run, he was busy as ever, working on the war victims of South America. He beams now that although admittedly religious persecution figured in his exile, “This is the work of God; these people are hungry for God’s word” he said. Claiming it was not Manalo of the INC who had caused him to go on exile, he says he does not feel bad anymore. Relating the story of Joseph who was sold by his very brothers to the Egyptians out of jealousy, he says he now understands why he had to leave for foreign shores. “Let me show you,” he says and out come Latinas playing the guitar and singing Tagalog praise songs. The camera spans some more and shows hundreds of foreigners getting baptized and giving testimony to a changed life. They embrace him like hungry souls having found a gem after so long a time of famine.
The preacher had been accused of rape by one he had excommunicated and who readily went to the church group of his arch enemy. That was the pattern ever since: One gets excommunicated from The Old Path (ADD) and went straight to the INC to assume a series of legal battles. The irony is that while in The Old Path (ADD) Jesus Christ is spirit and is the wisdom of God and son of God, with the INC, Jesus is mere human being, was a human being, and will come back a human being. The jump from one belief to another is appalling.
Bro. Eli would exhort the Filipinos at home lest they be thinking of revenge: “Love your fellowmen. The accusations against me are not surprising. I have done nothing wrong to anybody. I had been helping even those who accuse me. The prophets of old had been treated the same way. Jesus Christ had been treated worse. I am less than they are, yet these things are expected.”
Preacher Soriano left his country, the Philippines, in December 2005. Concentrating later his preaching on foreign shores, he had all the more enlarged the congregation of The Old Path (Ang Dating Daan) or Members Church of God International to mammoth proportions. The ever widening Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga, north of Manila, stands to be the biggest in the whole of Asia, and every week there are baptisms all over the globe. He preaches to his people via satellite simulcast through 6 continents.
Lately, Bro. Eliseo Soriano’s Truth blog (http://esoriano.wordpress.com) won in the Mashable’s Open Web Awards for 2010 in the Most Educational to Follow category. It was not the first time though that this blog has earned an award. His blog was the People’s choice awardee in the 2009 Philippine Web Awards in the blog category. More than that, Soriano’s blog was the awardee for the most popular website, besting all others in all categories.
First posted in Newsflavor, January 7, 2010
Ang Dating Daan blasts GMA7 self-branding as House of Truth
The following is an analysis of that Case Unclosed episode of June 18, 2009 aired by GMA7 that discussed the rape case filed by an excommunicated member of ADD against Bro. Eli Soriano. It is written from the perspective that the ADD feel their leader is trapped in a context of convoluted systems: broadcast network fight for audience ratings, influence of a rival church group over the media and the courts, personalities’ climb to promotion and prominence, and probably secret envy nursed for a long time. Some background of the events that followed are sandwiched for balance – things that Case Unclosed could not provide. The instrument in all this syndrome is one cast away by the ADD for spiritual filth and fully accepted by the INC – Daniel Veridiano alias Puto. Puto gets to persecute the man whose influence he had been using, whose identity he had been stealing, whose blessings he readily enjoyed. He gets organizations to fight Soriano for his being “raped,” rapist that he himself is. He had the local courts of Pampanga behind him, the Department of Justice, the Interpol. Most recent in the queue is GMA7. The question that perplexes ADD is why this rascal is getting everything for himself and yet is going scotfree. Meanwhile, the evangelist-in-a-hurry is leaving it all to his lawyers, and continues preaching worldwide while people think he should come home to face this mocked-up rape case against him. Case Unclosed that presented Soriano as making himself scarce, however, is not entitled to discuss the case. Nevertheless, Arnold Clavio, the host of the program, went ahead and aired his half-a-data. Soriano earlier said he is determined to face the International Court of Human Rights if given the chance.
By Jane Abao
Manila, Philippines (July 20, 2009) – That GMA7 is a “house of truth” is a lie, an untruth, a falsehood, a tall tale. This sums up the opinions of the church group belonging to Members Church of God International (MCGI) or Ang Dating Daan (ADD) as it is more popularly known, particularly on the presentation of GMA7 in one of its programs. The program was unfair and more yet, the station acted as a vehicle to spread more lies, the ADD said.
The news tagline of this TV channel says, “Not siding with anyone; not protecting anyone; just genuine service.” In Tagalog, it is “Walang Kinikilingan, Walang Pinoprotektahan, Serbisyong Totoo lamang.” However, GMA7 has done the opposite. To the Ang Dating Daan, it presented just one side and risked the rights of the other. Most of all, GMA7 has lined up itself with the forces made willing tools in the persecution of the ADD leader, Bro. Eliseo Soriano.
On the night of June 18, 2009, Case Unclosed, a program of GMA7 tackled the double rape case filed against Bro. Soriano by someone he had excommunicated sometime in August 2005. The program extended to an hour with just Daniel Veridiano alias Puto presenting his side of the case.
Soriano, the Presiding Minister of the MCGI or Ang Dating Daan booted out Veridiano from the congregation after some reports of serial rape and exorbitant unauthorized use of church funds for personal wants.
The accuser’s admission
Veridiano admitted sexually abusing 9 among the 14 that were complaining in a confession letter he signed November 21, 2004 to two ministers of the Church. Incidentally, in his bid to be lifted off his suspension of Church membership, Veridiano found himself being videoed during the investigation process, the results of which were to be presented to the Presiding Minister for his decision-making. In that investigation, Veridiano was asked why he was admitting to only 9; he said he cannot anymore recall (“Hindi ko na matandaan”). After some months of observation and upon the recommendation of an investigation panel, Veridiano was excommunicated.
In the Church, suspension is also observation time for repentance and for express changes in one’s life. Failing that, a member maybe excommunicated; and once excommunicated, one cannot appeal. This was the case of Veridiano who went to the fold of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) that readily took him in. Earlier however, when he was under suspension and appealing to be taken back, Puto said, “I will not join them; it would be a quick jump to hell.”
The members of Ang Dating Daan were surprised that GMA7 would be presenting as resource person the one they knew as Puto – a professional liar, a rapist, and one excommunicated from the Church for filthy living and failure to reform. Moreover, the program gave the opportunity for Puto to give out more lies and spew more made-up stories against Preacher Soriano who is out of the country since 2005. In such an instance the ADD felt twice aggrieved.
Closing the eyes
Despite the fact that Puto admitted raping some of his subordinates as posted in YouTube, Arnold Clavio chose to close his eyes and instead honored Puto, as a credible witness. It was not even one, or two, or three victims for Puto whom Soriano said was given many chances to change. If Clavio failed to watch Puto’s admission and if he failed to watch the raped boys describe in YouTube Veridiano’s penis with a round “o” with such and such a short length, then Clavio clearly had not done his research before airing his program.
Clavio was the host of that Case Unclosed program of GMA7, obviously shown with careless abandon like it was safe to hit Preacher Soriano and get away with it unscathed. Never did Clavio try to establish the credibility of his resource person by challenging his statements. For that program, Clavio simply let the statements of Veridiano pass – a no-no for investigative journalism. For example, Clavio did not bother asking why Veridiano was excommunicated from the church and if that was true. Clavio should have done that for the audience if he wanted to show even a semblance of fairness.
Clavio began it all like he had no obligation to hear the other side of the story. There was no hedging from Clavio’s episode of patches, mostly made to magnify the picture of an oppressed “raped man.”
If Arnold Clavio did not know it yet, there is a full coverage of this “raped man for whom Interpol would mobilize.” The star of the moment some few years back enjoyed his brief exposure to prominence when earlier, the powers of the Iglesia ni Cristo got the Interpol to post Soriano’s bio as a Wanted Person. The attempts at Interpol-assistance obviously failed the Iglesia ni Cristo for by that time, Bro. Eliseo Soriano had come to be known as TruthCaster and that his international activities only involved the propagation of the words of God – contrary to “sex crimes” that the INC had wanted the Interpol to believe.
Using now the memory lanes of a supposed helpless victim, Clavio’s voice boomed – “Daniel said he could not forget that afternoon of May 17, 2000 when he was called by the leader of the religion that he was a member of….”
Veridiano’s voice came on and right away planted a “teaching of Ang Dating Daan” that is false and unheard of: “There is a teaching in Dating Daan that a messenger of God does not sin, whatever he does to you. At that time, I feared him greatly because whatever he asks from you, you must oblige. You need to oblige; if not, it is as if you get cursed; as if something grave will happen to you if you do not do what he requires you to do – this so-called messenger of God.”
Video clips of the preacher came on, followed by Arnold Clavio’s vioice: “The one being pointed to by Daniel that had abused him: the leader of Ang Dating Daan, Bro. Eliseo ‘Eli’ Soriano.”
The protests
Vehement protests from the ADD members rained on GMA7 after that episode. Shortly thereafter, the channel issued a denial that it was biased and that it was intrusive of the case. It also declared a welcome note that the channel is open to present the side of Bro. Soriano in the future. This was reported by Mark Angelo Ching in Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP, July 2, 2009) and NRJ Ramos of Manila Bulletin (MB, July 3, 2009). Retrieved from http://www.pep.ph/news/22318/GMA-7-denies-partiality-in-reporting-Bro.-Eli-Soriano-rape-case and http://www.mb.com.ph/node/209094/religiou
The problem with that denial is that it is not telling the truth. The ADD thinks the presentation is biased; it is intrusive. The case is still open. You cannot right that wrong with a second part on another date and say it is the continuation of the previous one. One does not chop matters of contention between two parties on separate dates. Principles of communication declare that such action is unfair, inequitable, and lacking of correct judgment of timing and impartial audience impact.
It is after all what an Arnold Clavio seemed to project in that program: that he had no qualms about it if he was to be viewed as partial. Twice Puto was allowed to say “If only he is here, he would be behind bars. It cannot be that he will not.”
To the ADD members still boycotting this network, Arnold Clavio does not know his Journalism. Had he done his research well, he would have known what Bro. Soriano was saying as “Sub judice.” Soriano cannot comment as the case (dismissed but re-filed) was pending. Therefore, it was not even a proper item for Case Unclosed because it is not of the vintage kind.
Knowing that he only had a half part of the whole thing, Clavio went ahead and aired it. Granted that the case may be discussed, if he had to deal with two sides, why did he present one ahead of the other? Doesn’t Clavio know that June 18, 2009 is not the same as another future date if he had to present the other half? How sure was he that the sample of the people who saw his first part will be the same sample seeing his second part? Moreover, how much time-gap would there be between the first presentation and a subsequent one if ever there would be one? Is that what he can call a presentation with a level-playing field?
Doesn’t Clavio know that if he had to get data from people, he is not to get them by force? Is he already treating Soriano as the guilty party and Veridiano as an innocent victim? To add insult to injury, Clavio ended the program with these words: “Although Bro. Eli Soriano insists that the accusations against him are simply lies, his appearance and his facing his case are hoped to clear out the questions left unanswered.”
A program with legal elements like Case Unclosed must have someone there with enough legal background. But as it is, Clavio had risked the network’s reputation with ignorance. Most of the ADD comments ask GMA7 management that Arnold Clavio be axed from that channel. The structure of Clavio’s presentation also shows he does not know much about broadcasting. That he was only presenting what was written for him as a script is no excuse.
Right from the start, the episode impressed the audience of presenting only the side of the “raped man,” as if to make the ADD regret they had not issued any statement for Arnold Clavio.
Clavio was quick to say they tried to get the side of the ADD regarding the case of Veridiano but could not get any response. However, knowing full well that he only had data from one side, Clavio went ahead and aired the program. That he was not able to get a response was already license to air to this Clavio.
Infractions of good practice in journalism
There were many infractions of good practice in journalism noticed by the ADD members.
Clavio disregarded challenging his resource person that Soriano could not be around Apalit at 1:30 in the afternoon of May 17, 2000 considering that he was under treatment in Manila in the morning and then traveled to Lipa for a bible exposition afterwards. Aside from a patient’s registration copy, Soriano has a copy of the venue permit used during that day. If he really wanted to be objective, Clavio should have interviewed the two doctors of the Biological Center mentioned as having treated Bro. Soriano that day which was why Soriano could not be in Apalit raping Veridiano.
When Veridiano denied his signature appearing in the confession letter about raping 9 males, Clavio did not try to establish if Veridiano was lying or not. Again, if he had wanted to play fair, and to establish Veridiano’s credibility, Clavio should have interviewed those boys raped by Veridiano. The names are there in that confession letter. In Youtube, these boys gave out their testimonies against Veridiano and what he did to them. One was even just 17 that time and until now, he appears shocked, talking very little as much as possible.
The ADD members note that it is not easy for rape victims to come out to the public and admit they were raped – much more by one rascal like Puto. And yet they had to do it and make use of the Internet for failing to get justice in the kind of courts obtaining in the country.
And now, GMA7 is a House of Truth?
Baloney! says the Ang Dating Daan. The news tagline, “Not siding with anyone; not protecting anyone; just genuine service” is a lie.
For the way it has behaved, GMA7 should be ashamed enough and change that tagline because it does not become them, the members said.
Moreover, the question of the ADD until now is, “What the blazes is GMA7 glorifying a liar for?”
Puto, the “raped man,” lies
There is no such teaching in Ang Dating Daan that anyone can make demands and oppress the other – much more by the leader who teaches righteousness. Puto was lying.
Puto was excommunicated in August 2005 for filthy living; he did not leave ADD all by his own. In fact, he made attempts to be taken in but didn’t pass it. His signature in that confession letter is genuine; it was not faked by anyone. The challenge from ADD is for Clavio and the public to view Puto online. A video-taped recording in YouTube may be used to triangulate data about his confession of serial rape. From there, the public can see if anyone fed those admission words into his mouth. From there, Arnold Clavio can see if he had an innocent “raped man” not lying to him.
Puto may deny everything to get the Iglesia ni Cristo to use him still as a lying witness against Soriano. In that same video, however, Veridiano damned the Iglesia ni Cristo as satanic and with false teachings so that going there is equivalent to going to hell. Not for long, however, Puto was heard attending INC services.
Other lies that Veridiano alias Puto said over GMA7 were that he had been “writer-editor of Ang Dating Daan Magazine.” There is no magazine with such name. Records have it that Puto attempted to handle a magazine called TOP (The Old Path). During one of the national thanksgiving days, Ryan Borja, an assistant to Puto then, approached a professional journalist from Mindanao and showed her a copy. The journalist laughed and asked Borja how come the magazine looked that way. “Can you help us?” asked Borja. During breaktime, the journalist went from cover to cover, red-penciled the pages, and returned it to Borja.
Bro. Eli saw the red-markings, studied it, and called for a meeting, angry at what he saw. After that, the issue was shelved and the management of the magazine was transferred from Puto’s office to ADDCaption, another office that started its own maiden issue. Puto’s work did not pass. He never had been a writer-editor for ADD.
Puto also bragged in Clavio’s program that the Attendance Monitoring System was his idea. Jay Jimenez, the incumbent head of the ADD Communications, Information, and Technology (ADDCIT) denies that the Attendance Monitoring System (AMS) was Puto’s idea. This was the statement of Jimenez:
“The Computerized attendance monitoring system was the idea of Bro. Daniel Razon, including that of the Internet webcast. Actually we started the IT of the church since 1999, and we had designed the first website of angdatingdaan.org already before Puto came in.
“Because of Puto’s envy to us, he took over our group and he absorbed us. At that time, he was a worker typist of Bro. Eli. He promised us support by providing the infrastructures needed for websites and webcast. He formed ADD Correspondents July 20, 2000. We were the pioneers.
“Daniel is just a typist – fast typist! In fairness, fastest typist ever! Dapat sa gilid siya ng SEC magwork, yung nag tatype ng mga documents dun; o di kaya sa quiapo, yung taga type ng mga thesis ng mga estudyante (Trans: He should work at the side of SEC among those typing documents there; if not in Quiapo, among those typing thesis for students.)”
Grabbing credit for Puto is something not to be ashamed of, just as lying is. Ever since, the idea man in ADD is Daniel Razon. He is responsible for most of the conception of ADD projects.
Puto also said he was an “Assistant Secretary General.” Bro. Soriano had already clarified in court even that there is no assistant general secretary position in the church. The structure of the church is such that it does not need a Secretary General – more so an assistant general secretary.
“In the ministry, in teaching, I was the one in charge before Soriano would teach,” Puto claimed. As everyone in the ministerial class knows, Puto’s work in this area was merely in assisting or in checking that sitting and equipment arrangements were in order. While he wanted to impress people that he can preach as well as or better than the ministers, his work was no different from a janitor.
To be minister had long been a dream of Puto which he never got in the ADD. Would-be ministers in ADD are being well screened. Spiritual growth for Puto was a question that even in leading prayers, the task had been taken off him.
“June 8, 2001, it was my spiritual birthday. He called for me and I thought he would give me a gift. For all I knew, it was another of those things he did to me last year,” Puto said.
Veridiano, alias Puto, mentioned about a second count of rape on June 8, 2001. As written earlier in ADD newsreports, Soriano had testified in court that he went with Rico Fernandez to the office of one Ma. Evangeline Veloira in a bank located in Bambang, Manila. They then proceeded to Sushimoto Restaurant to meet a certain Aida P. Briones, an accountant recommended by Veloira regarding the loan transaction they were applying for. As publicly known, the preacher is known for gallantly financing big church projects which explains the growth of the congregation to an international scope. The transaction was held from 12noon to 4pm. Veridiano said he was raped around 3:00 in the afternoon that day.
The investigating prosecutor found no probable cause to prosecute Soriano as he believed that Veridiano’s accusations were all lies and fabricated. The case was filed sometime before October 5, 2005 and was dismissed on January 26, 2006. It was penned by Alexandro Lopez, Asst. Provincial Prosecutor and approved by Jesus Magarang, Provincial prosecutor, Province of Pampanga, San Fernando City. The court highly considered the rift going on between the INC and the ADD.
Arnold Clavio and his lines
Some lines of Arnold Clavio need a second look because they encouraged the lies of Puto.
Arnold Clavio: “According to Daniel, still he was not able to fight him.”
Anyone who knows Bro. Eli Soriano would know something is wrong with this statement. It does not fit into the paradigm that is the man leading the Church and who has love immeasurable for the brethren but ready anger for a fake brother exposed for his wrongdoings. The members have seen Soriano react in diverse situations mostly in consultation sessions through satellite system that they can easily predict his behavior in most situations. From what they know of his character, Soriano would be the first one to get angry with a brother found doing wrong. Moreover, it is impossible that Soriano could be raping anybody and still retain that unequaled understanding of the Bible that he is well-known for. For the man who keeps warning that the wicked cannot understand, it is impossible that he could explain the deepest mysteries in the Bible in an unending fashion like drawing from an eternal spring, if he is that wicked. Soriano’s energies are dedicated towards propagating the words of God and studying for it – if not cooking for big crowds of members and guests. Puto’s organ or that of anyone else would not even be the last of his interests. Soriano’s sights are trained on his commission for which he is ever in a hurry. “We have to be part of those who will fulfill prophecy,” he would say to the congregation.
No one is like a prisoner in Apalit like Puto wanted to convey. In fact, instead of attending church functions, Puto takes pleasure trips to famous beaches of the country, charged to a credit card meant for the church – a card which he abused to include beautifying his new face. No member’s mouth is ordered closed that he cannot talk of what is right and proper. Puto, himself, knows that. The preacher would often warn the brethren that those who keep secret the wrong doings of others would suffer consequences too. Soriano even said that had the brothers exposed Puto much earlier, he would not have become that worse. Since Puto was one working closely with Bro. Eli, people feared to report his wrong doings. It was Puto who used his influence and used it wrongly. He would threaten those he aggrieved with suspensions and excommunication. His typing work involved preparing Church circulars.
Arnold Clavio: “It was year 2004 when Daniel Veridiano decided to leave the ADD Convention Center.”
At this time, Puto was suspended as a member and was placed under observation. He knew that his case was heavy and came in multiple levels: illicit sex, wide-spread thievery, misuse of a credit card meant for the church, identity theft, possession of porno materials and a penis-enlarger that told much of his promiscuous gay activities. Puto lived hardly a Christian life to be able to hold on to an ADD membership.
Arnold Clavio: “He hid for a while. He broke his silence in September 2005. He gave his statements in the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Pampanga about the abuse made on him. It was Atty. Alex Avisado and some others in his office that handled the case of Daniel.”
Puto did not go into hiding. It is not the practice of ADD to hunt for people – more so when one is declared spiritually sick. The members would keep a distance – as far away as possible.
Instead of hiding, Puto walked around for help in the ADD. He tried to get two ministers to back him up in his bid to return to the ADD. When the findings from an investigating panel came out, Puto failed to meet the mark. In August 2005, he was finally expelled. At that same time he was reported to be attending church gatherings of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
The Gumaru paragraph sprouting
Arnold Clavio: “According to the Bureau of Immigration, December 14, 2005, flight PR501 of Philippine Airlines going to Singapore was the last list recording the name of Bro. Eli. That is why according to the lawyers of Daniel, it is impossible that the Manila Police District reported that Bro. Eli surrendered in 2008 to PO3 Jun Gumaru of Pandacan Police. Accordingly, it was Gumaru who processed the application of Soriano to pay bail. It was reported that he did not tell his supervisors so that Gumaru was placed under investigation that is being held until now. There was an order of release also that the Branch 26 of Manila Regional Trial Court issued for Eli Soriano. It was written there that he had paid a bail of P240, 000, and was signed by Jun Gumaru.”
No matter how untrue this surrender-to-Gumaru is, the Iglesia ni Cristo members blazed the media with it, pinning falsification of documents on “Ely” Soriano wherever they could get their hands on. The story was poorly written by a certain Allison Lopez of Philippine Daily Inquirer on August 29, 2008 and then posted in Scribd.com. Lopez appeared to have used INC sources with the tell-tale “Ely” name that INCs insist on calling the preacher. She also showed no background knowledge of the case as if it were just the beginning.
Just the same, the paragraph on Gumaru from the story of Lopez transformed into a video piece. Cut out from the whole story, it highlighted Gumaru’s denial that an Eliseo Soriano had surrendered to him. The intention of those who had re-produced this paragraph into video items, cut out from the whole story, was clearly to let the public believe that Soriano is found guilty of falsification of documents in the Philippines. They made a feast of it. All the while, Soriano was out of the country.
Though taken out of context, this paragraph cum video piece is embedded in many blogs of INC local members and foreigners in the Internet, whether they discussed astronomy or music, but not Philippine conditions. When queried about what they knew about the case, they kept mum about it. INC posters like Rizalino L. Arrabis and Conrad J. Obligacion took turns taunting Soriano of that “falsification charge” in news sites all over the Internet, most prominently in NowPublic.com and Topix.net.
Many other incognito INC sympathizers did the same just as they did when Interpol posted Soriano’s bio as one of those wanted. The first who made news out of this was Alfred P. Dalizon of World News Journal Online on August 8, 2008. Dalizon’s links with the INC showed when he wrote that Soriano is a former INC member and Veridiano alias Puto, instead of being excommunicated from the ADD, was merely going back to his former church, the INC. Dalizon also wrote that Soriano is a fugitive, is on a Red Notice and an international warrant of arrest – contrary to definitions of the Interpol on “fugitive” and “Red Notice.” Furthermore, Dalizon in his half-baked news carried only blind items, never having a name for “police authorities” that he kept mentioning as his source. Nevertheless, Dalizon’s story was honored as a reference in Wikipedia on the much public-edited bio of Soriano that appeared like it is describing an entirely different person.
Incidentally, there are many hate blogsites against Bro. Soriano by as many as 50, initiated and supported by Ka Webspy (Real name: Sustines E. Laplana), a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. The contents consist of twisting the preaching of the preacher and maligning him in every way possible.
From history, the Ang Dating Daaan began as a small group catering to Philippine membership only in its incipient years in the 1980s. Today, the ADD Convention Center, the biggest convention center in Asia, houses an average of 70,000 people every week for its thanksgiving functions, and that is for Apalit alone. With Bro. Soriano working feverishly outside the country, membership has truly become international and church locales have been established in six continents. Soriano preaches to them simulcast through satellite systems every Saturday and every International Thanksgiving days.
Every Friday, thousands get baptized from diverse religious groups to an annual average of 20,000 in the country alone and another set of thousands abroad – including those from the Iglesia ni Cristo who obviously blame Soriano for their dwindling membership. This is the group that refuses to take the criticisms of the preacher without striking back by way of filing court cases and using the excommunicated members as witnesses; by way of raids; and by way of using the influence of their members in the courts to intervene in judicial processes.
ADD: Principle of no revenge
Nevertheless, the unity and strength of the ADD had been tested through the years – not by their growing numbers but by following the spiritual principles taught to them by their leader. This is noted in their remarkable policy of not taking any revenge. The principle is to let God take charge.
This was tested so many times when the Iglesia ni Cristo through the NBI under the leadership of Director Gen. ReynaldoWycoco, himself an INC member, in February 1-2, 2002 raided the ADD Convention Center just for a case of libel; when the INC hoodlums hit the ADD brothers near Jollibee Restaurant in Apalit, Pampanga on April 18, 2005; when the ADD Convention Center was raided by the local police that belonged to the INC in search for their minster, Abner Martizano, who joined the ADD in 2005; and when clearly an INC deacon was implicated in the April 27, 2008 death of Marcos Mataro, a UNTV host that hit hard on the INCs in his “dX-man”program.
The Jollibee encounter between ADD brothers and INCs was misreported inAbsoluteAstronomy.com as a free-for-all initiated by Marcos Mataro, an ADD member but a former INC. It did not report that ADD brothers were badly browbeaten by the INCs and in the courts, they were accused as the perpetrators instead of the other way around. Ref: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Iglesia_ni_Cristo
The raid on the ADD Convention Center on account of former INC minister Martizano was covered by Sun.Star Pampanga (December 16, 2005), the raid being carried out allegedly on grounds of “multiple rape.” The report, however, made it appear that Martizano only left the INC because he is a criminal and sought refuge in the ADD. Ref: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/pam/2005/12/16/news/quezon.city.cops.charged.with.robbery.html
Public news have it that Nickson Icao and Felizardo “Ka Zaldy” Lumagham, both of Macabebe, Pampanga and who claim to be members of INC, (the latter, a deacon) were charged before the San Fernando prosecutors office for the death of Marcos Mataro. Until now, however, both persons have yet to be accounted for.
The real House of Truth
The GMA network counts its age today as 59 glorious years, chalking March 1, 1950 as its day of birth. Over the air lanes, this giant broadcast network proudly banners itself as “House of Truth,” (Tahanan ng katotohanan). And GMA7 is part of them.
As far as the Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) is concerned, GMA is one broadcast network that cannot be trusted for its branding and its news taglines. It thrives in hollow branding to sell itself without truly working. Calling itself “house of truth,” it does not offer genuine service beyond mere reproduction of news events and even that is questionable.
To reckon, is GMA of the likes of UNTV – the public service channel? By all counts, GMA cannot equal the humanitarian services given by UNTV that is strongly supported by Bro. Soriano – one whose public image GMA7 recently compromised. Soriano’s works include the several orphanages in the country, the feeding programs among depressed areas, the medical and dental missions, the transient houses, the free bus rides; and some of these, he does through UNTV. In effect, UNTV does not merely produce news unlike GMA – and that’s what is genuine service.
And to top it all, as far as information is concerned, Soriano works for the propagation of God’s words and the teaching of truth for the salvation of souls. This he does in the country strongly through UNTV. People need to know how to live properly according to Soriano, which is why he preaches 24/7 wherever he can, to include UNTV. No gyrating lewd bodies; no nonsense programs – just plain public service.
Inside the country, Soriano has “adopted” the poor and the outcast of the society – things that politicians should be doing. Outside the country, Soriano has “adopted” victims of war and racism and gave them hope through teaching God’s word. All in all, it is truth that Bro. Eli Soriano deals with – day in and day out. In the Church of God which is the House of God, truth is the service. The Church of God is appropriately the House of Truth – not GMA.
To call itself then as “House of Truth” is for GMA to go over bounds. Branding to this network is hollow, without truth, and more of a habit. In effect, GMA comes out with bubble branding: one blast and it bursts to nothing.
The Razon experience
So, is this network not really siding with anyone as promised by its news tagline?
Sometime in 2006, Daniel Razon, the Vice Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God International or ADD had the same taste of fate as that of Bro. Soriano, Razon’s uncle and partner in Church ministry. Razon was then a co-anchor of Arnold Clavio in Unang Hirit, GMA7’s morning show. Razon is now UNTV executive and is blessed with many opportunities to grow while Clavio stayed where he stays until now. The ADD wonder if Clavio secretly looks at Soriano as he does Razon today, his former colleague and now his rival in the industry. Years back in 2005 when Razon was in GMA7, Management asked him for alternatives: to refrain from mentioning the Iglesia ni Cristo or to resign. He chose the latter in what he called a choice for his God and not for his job. Dindo M. Balares wrote about this in Manila Bulletin (June 16, 2005) and can be found here: http://www.articlearchives.com/entertainment-arts/broadcasting-industry-television/458213-1.html
The ADD members said if GMA7 broke their tagline promise of not siding with anyone by pushing out Razon, one of their very own anchors to please the Iglesia ni Cristo, how much more others like Bro. Soriano who is an outsider.
Some sectors of the ADD still believe that GMA7 has somehow compromised Bro. Soriano’s public image in its audience ratings’ fight with ABS-CBN. However, GMA7 made a wrong decision if courting this audience is their target in their controversial topics. The ADD are still on boycott. The ADD is a growing force that can be counted on in any elections, much more in broadcast audience ratings.
Bro. Soriano left the country in a huff in late 2005 when reports from the enemy camp said his life was in danger and his quest for justice was nil. As observed by the preacher, the justice system in the country is such that in Pampanga where the rape case was filed and dismissed, and then re-filed by then Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzalez, the prosecutors keep on changing. One week after a pronouncement of judgment against Bro. Soriano, another prosecutor comes in. And then another. In fact, this rape case is one for the Guinness Book of Records, and is a recommended case study for all students of Law. There are so many meddlers but Soriano sees the hand of the Iglesia ni Cristo in it – they who keep no secret about their hatred for Soriano through the pronouncements of the INC ministers in Net25. Soriano is the most vocal critic of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
GMA7: advancing the “raped man’s” cause
The same “raped man,” now a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, was also used to get the Interpol’s intervention to get Soriano behind bars, the failed mission of which the ADD interprets is the present task of GMA7. In his program, Clavio had underscored that nothing could be done while Soriano is out of the country according to Puto’s lawyers. To get Soriano behind bars, GMA7 would then use a professional liar because no one in his right sense would accuse Soriano of rape, let alone raping a rapist.
Finally, Arnold Clavio contradicted himself. While he explained that there is no extradition treaty between the Philippines and Brazil, and that a Red Notice of the Interpol is not an International Arrest Warrant, at the same time he said of Soriano, “he can be arrested for the meantime and an extradition can be worked out for him.” Quoting the lawyers or not, Clavio is not careful which information to propagate or not.
By this time, Bro. Soriano is thinking the world must be crazy to believe he would rape a rapist – most of all a rapist of not only 9 but more! His enemies are that corrupt of imagination.
The insistence of the Iglesia ni Cristo to pin a rape case on Bro. Eli is interpreted by the ADD as a cosmeticizing effort meant to restructure the much tarnished image of Felix Manalo, their so-called “messenger of God.” In his bible expositions, whenever he is asked about Felix Manalo, Bro. Eli would speak of him as a rapist, not worth a man to be speaking the words of God which Manalo mixes with many lies to hold on to his members. But Soriano is not speaking from mere hearsay.
Rape and INC’s Manalo
In a 1954 newspaper called “The Bombshell,” Joe Cruz serialized the immoral escapades of Felix Manalo and included the court cases wherein he was tried, foremost of which was the Rosita Trillanes case. Manalo had been convicted in court in the 1950s for raping Rosita Trillanes, a deaconess. It was this Rosita, according to Cruz, who had revealed to the INC what this supposed messenger did to women of their church. The Court of Appeals sided with Rosita. The court had established the immoral activities of Felix Manalo. Rosita’s story of how Manalo raped her was published in the Philippine Official Gazette, Vol. 1, July, 1942. She also mentioned about the other women abused by Manalo.
Records have it that accusations of sexual immorality plagued Felix Manalo throughout his life. In a decision by the Court of Appeals, in the case of “The People vs. Rosita Trillanes” published in July 1942, the Justices gave an extremely unfavorable estimate of Manalo’s character stating:
“…Manalo, took advantage of his position as head of the Iglesia ni Cristo, and…employed religion as a cloak to cover his…immoral practices; that he pretended to be the Messias sent by God; and that to persuade his victims, he cited the example of Solomon and his many wives.” (Source: Official Gazette, Volume 1 No. 7, July 1942, pages 393-395.)
Is Ang Dating Daan boycott on GMA7 scoring now?
Recently Updated: Top Programs for July 1 (Wednesday) and the whole month of June 2009
National Daytime Program Rankings for July 1 2009 (Wednesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | JIM HERNANDEZ’S KAMBAL SA UMA | ABS-CBN | 25.5 |
| 2 | WOWOWEE | ABS-CBN | 24.9 |
| 3 | PRECIOUS HEARTS ROMANCES PRESENTS: BUD BROTHERS | ABS-CBN | 19.3 |
| 4 | SINE NOVELA: KUNG AAGAWIN MO ANG LAHAT SA AKIN | GMA | 17 |
| 5 | EAT.. BULAGA! | GMA | 16.7 |
| 6 | MR. BEAN | ABS-CBN | 16 |
| 7 | PILIPINAS GAME KA NA BA? | ABS-CBN | 15.7 |
| 8 | NARUTO SHIPUUDEN (SEASON 2) | ABS-CBN | 15.5 |
| 9 | LOVE OR BREAD | ABS-CBN | 15.2 |
| 10 | SINE NOVELA: NGAYON AT KAILANMAN | GMA | 14.6 |
National Primetime Program Rankings for July 1 2009 (Wednesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 37 |
| 2 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 35.2 |
| 3 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 34.9 |
| 4 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 34 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 29.4 |
| 6 | CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | GMA | 22.9 |
| 7 | ZORRO | GMA | 22.8 |
| 8 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 21.3 |
| 9 | THE WEDDING | ABS-CBN | 20.7 |
| 10 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 18.9 |
National Daytime Program Rankings for June 30 2009 (Tuesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | JIM HERNANDEZ’S KAMBAL SA UMA | ABS-CBN | 24.4 |
| 2 | WOWOWEE | ABS-CBN | 24.2 |
| 3 | PRECIOUS HEARTS ROMANCES PRESENTS: BUD BROTHERS | ABS-CBN | 17.7 |
| 4 | EAT… BULAGA! | GMA | 17.1 |
| 5 | SINE NOVELA: KUNG AAGAWIN MO ANG LAHAT SA AKIN | GMA | 16.1 |
| 6 | MR. BEAN | ABS-CBN | 16 |
| 7 | PILIPINAS GAME KA NA BA? | ABS-CBN | 15.6 |
| 8 | LOVE OR BREAD | ABS-CBN | 15.2 |
| 9 | NARUTO SHIPUUDEN (SEASON 2) | ABS-CBN | 15.1 |
| 10 | SINE NOVELA: NGAYON AT KAILANMAN | GMA | 14.8 |
National Primetime Program Rankings for June 30 2009 (Tuesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 39.4 |
| 2 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 37.3 |
| 3 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 36.7 |
| 4 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 35.7 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 30.1 |
| 6 | ZORRO | GMA | 24.8 |
| 7 | CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | GMA | 23.7 |
| 8 | THE WEDDING | ABS-CBN | 21.8 |
| 9 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 21.6 |
| 10 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 19.1 |
_____________________________________________________________
Top Ranking Programs for Week 25 (June 21 to June 26)
National Daytime Program Rankings, Week 25 Weekdays (June 22 to 26)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | WOWOWEE | ABS-CBN | 24.9 |
| 2 | JIM HERNANDEZ’S KAMBAL SA UMA | ABS-CBN | 23.1 |
| 3 | PRECIOUS HEARTS ROMANCES PRESENTS: BUD BROTHERS | ABS-CBN | 18.6 |
| 4 | EAT… BULAGA! | GMA | 17.4 |
| 5 | SINE NOVELA: KUNG AAGAWIN MO ANG LAHAT SA AKIN | GMA | 16.7 |
| 6 | LOVE OR BREAD | ABS-CBN | 16 |
| 7 | MR. BEAN | ABS-CBN | 15.5 |
|
8 |
PILIPINAS GAME KA NA BA? | ABS-CBN |
15.4 |
| SINE NOVELA: NGAYON AT KAILANMAN | GMA | ||
| 9 | NARUTO SHIPUUDEN (SEASON 2) | ABS-CBN | 14.6 |
| 10 | DAISY SIETE | GMA | 13.8 |
National Primetime Program Rankings, Week 25 Weekdays (June 22 to 26)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 39.2 |
| 2 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 36.5 |
| 3 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 36.1 |
| 4 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 34.9 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 29.7 |
| 6 | ZORRO | GMA | 25 |
| 7 | CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | GMA | 23.2 |
| 8 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 23 |
| 9 | PINOY BINGO NIGHT | ABS-CBN | 19.8 |
| 10 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 19.6 |
National Program Rankings, Week 25 Weekend (June 21 AND June 27) WHOLE DAY
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAALAALA MO KAYA | ABS-CBN | 29.7 |
| 2 | RATED K HANDA NA BA KAYO? | ABS-CBN | 27.9 |
| 3 | THE SINGING BEE | ABS-CBN | 27.8 |
| 4 | KAPUSO MO, JESSICA SOHO | GMA | 24.9 |
| 5 | MARS RAVELO’S NASAAN KA MARUJA? | ABS-CBN | 24.5 |
| 6 | WOWOWEE (SATURDAY) | ABS-CBN | 23.7 |
| 7 | CINEMA FPJ DA KING | ABS-CBN | 22.1 |
| 8 | XXX (EXKLUSIBONG EXPLOSIBONG EXPOSE) | ABS-CBN | 22 |
| 9 | IMBESTIGADOR | GMA | 21.5 |
| 10 | GOIN’ BULILIT | ABS-CBN | 21.3 |
Source: http://www.tnsglobal.com/global/alm/philippines/philippines-tam.aspx
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
UPDATE: July 4, 2009
National Daytime Program Rankings for July 2 2009 (Thursday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | JIM HERNANDEZ’S KAMBAL SA UMA | ABS-CBN | 26.2 |
| 2 | WOWOWEE | ABS-CBN | 22.4 |
| 3 | EAT… BULAGA! | GMA | 18.4 |
| 4 | PRECIOUS HEARTS ROMANCES PRESENTS: BUD BROTHERS | ABS-CBN | 17.5 |
| 5 | SINE NOVELA: KUNG AAGAWIN MO ANG LAHAT SA AKIN | GMA | 16.7 |
| 6 | LOVE OR BREAD | ABS-CBN | 16.3 |
| 7 | NARUTO SHIPUUDEN (SEASON 2) | ABS-CBN | 15.6 |
| 8 | MR. BEAN | ABS-CBN | 15.1 |
| 9 | SINE NOVELA: NGAYON AT KAILANMAN | GMA | 14.5 |
| 10 | DAISY SIETE | GMA | 14.4 |
National Primetime Program Rankings for July 2 2009 (Thursday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 40.9 |
| 2 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 39.5 |
| 3 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 38.7 |
| 4 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 36.6 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 30.8 |
| 6 | ZORRO | GMA | 25.1 |
| CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | |||
| 7 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 22.8 |
| 8 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 21.3 |
| 9 | THE WEDDING | ABS-CBN | 21.2 |
| 10 | CRUEL LOVE | GMA | 15.8 |
National Daytime Program Rankings for July 1 2009 (Wednesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | JIM HERNANDEZ’S KAMBAL SA UMA | ABS-CBN | 25.5 |
| 2 | WOWOWEE | ABS-CBN | 24.9 |
| 3 | PRECIOUS HEARTS ROMANCES PRESENTS: BUD BROTHERS | ABS-CBN | 19.3 |
| 4 | SINE NOVELA: KUNG AAGAWIN MO ANG LAHAT SA AKIN | GMA | 17 |
| 5 | EAT… BULAGA! | GMA | 16.7 |
| 6 | MR. BEAN | ABS-CBN | 16 |
| 7 | PILIPINAS GAME KA NA BA? | ABS-CBN | 15.7 |
| 8 | NARUTO SHIPUUDEN (SEASON 2)- | ABS-CBN | 15.5 |
| 9 | LOVE OR BREAD | ABS-CBN | 15.2 |
| 10 | SINE NOVELA: NGAYON AT KAILANMAN | GMA | 14.6 |
National Primetime Program Rankings for July 1 2009 (Wednesday)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 37 |
| 2 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 35.2 |
| 3 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 34.9 |
| 4 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 34 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 29.4 |
| 6 | CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | GMA | 22.9 |
| 7 | ZORRO | GMA | 22.8 |
| 8 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 21.3 |
| 9 | THE WEDDING | ABS-CBN | 20.7 |
| 10 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 18.9 |
________________________________________________________
National Primetime Program Rankings, Week 25 Weekdays (June 22 to 26)
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAY BUKAS PA | ABS-CBN | 39.2 |
| 2 | ONLY YOU | ABS-CBN | 36.5 |
| 3 | TV PATROL WORLD | ABS-CBN | 36.1 |
| 4 | TAYONG DALAWA | ABS-CBN | 34.9 |
| 5 | BOYS OVER FLOWERS | ABS-CBN | 29.7 |
| 6 | ZORRO | GMA | 25 |
| 7 | CARLO J. CAPARAS’ TOTOY BATO | GMA | 23.2 |
| 8 | 24 ORAS | GMA | 23 |
| 9 | PINOY BINGO NIGHT | ABS-CBN | 19.8 |
| 10 | ADIK SA ‘YO | GMA | 19.6 |
National Program Rankings, Week 25 Weekend (June 21 AND June 27) WHOLE DAY
| Program | Channel | Rtg(%) | |
| 1 | MAALAALA MO KAYA | ABS-CBN | 29.7 |
| 2 | RATED K HANDA NA BA KAYO? | ABS-CBN | 27.9 |
| 3 | THE SINGING BEE | ABS-CBN | 27.8 |
| 4 | KAPUSO MO, JESSICA SOHO | GMA | 24.9 |
| 5 | MARS RAVELO’S NASAAN KA MARUJA? | ABS-CBN | 24.5 |
| 6 | WOWOWEE (SATURDAY) | ABS-CBN | 23.7 |
| 7 | CINEMA FPJ DA KING | ABS-CBN | 22.1 |
| 8 | XXX (EXKLUSIBONG EXPLOSIBONG EXPOSE) | ABS-CBN | 22 |
| 9 | IMBESTIGADOR | GMA | 21.5 |
| 10 | GOIN’ BULILIT | ABS-CBN | 21.3 |
____________________________________________________________
GMA7 uses self-confessed serial rapist vs. crusading preacher, Ang Dating Daan boycott stays
By Jane Abao
Manila, Philippines (July, 1, 2009) – A giant TV network used a self-confessed serial rapist as a resource person recently to discuss a pending case he had filed against a fearless preacher known for exposing false practices.
GMA7, considered the biggest among TV networks in the country used Daniel Veridiano alias Puto as a resource person in an episode in Case Unclosed, a program in GMA7 the night of June 18, 2009.
Veridiano claimed that the preacher, Bro. Eliseo Soriano, raped him on two counts – in 2000 and in 2001. Soriano is the Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God, International (MCGI) or Ang Dating Daan (ADD) as known to the public. Tagged as “the most sensible preacher in our time,” a bible scholar so adept in biblical teachings that any question could be asked of him, he has become an international evangelist since 2005.
With the West as his present focus, Soriano has tremendously increased the membership of the MCGI or ADD in six continents with the effective use of technology. Known as TruthCaster for his biblical expositions, foreigners have largely come to know him through Truth in Focus, a compact disk reproduction of his discussions on the Word of God. Soriano’s preachings therefore have reached remote places like those in South Africa and Saudi Arabia.
Veridiano filed his complaint after a lapse of some 5 years when he could not be admitted back to the folds of the Church and subsequently left for the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) that readily accepted him. Preacher Soriano is considered the most vocal critic of the INC and Veridiano knew that.
According to court records that first dismissed the case, Veridiano is “indisputably ill-motivated from the inception” which is why he had filed the case. Soriano said Veridiano is retaliating for being excommunicated.
As penned by Alexandro Lopez, Assistant Provincial Prosecutor of Region III, San Fernando, Pampanga and as approved by Jesus Y. Manarang, the Provincial Prosecutor: “The foregoing facts, together with the rift going on between the INC and the ADD, which we cannot deny, only show that the complainant was indisputably ill-motivated from the inception, and these necessarily, without any scintilla of doubt, substantially affect, if not lessen, his credibility as an unperjured affiant.
Case Unclosed is a news and public affairs TV show in the Philippines aired every Thursday evenings by GMA Network. Currently hosted by Arnold Clavio, it supposedly showcases vintage cases unsolved by authorities.
“There was no sense of justice and equity in the Case Unclosed of Arnold Clavio over GMA7. In the first place, the invented rape case against me is still in the courts,” the preacher said. Suggesting that vintage cases should have been the coverage of such a program, he underscored the status of the case that is still in the courts.
Daniel Razon, the Vice Presiding Minister of the Church of God International, and a current executive of UNTV, used to co-anchor a morning show, Unang Hirit, with Arnold Clavio in GMA7. Razon was asked some years back by GMA7 if he could give up something from his religion to please the Iglesia ni Cristo. He instead chose to remain with his faith. From there, Razon was asked to resign.
The Ang Dating Daan began its boycott of GMA on June 19, 2009 the following day that the episode was shown.
GMA is publicly known to compete with ABS-CBN, another TV network, for ratings. The Kapuso network of GMA is bruited about as dominating ratings in Mega Manila and Urban Luzon, based on the data of AGB Nielsen Philippines. But even as they claim so, the ABS-CBN insists its programs from daytime to primetime trumped its rival GMA’s shows nationwide based on overnight TV ratings of Taylor Nelson Sofres. As publicly known, day in- day out, GMA and ABS-CBN would compete for viewer ratings.
The fight for ratings between GMA and ABS-CBN is seen by the Ang Dating Daan sector as partly the reason why GMA7 readily jumped into showing this highly questionable Case Unclosed episode. To reckon, the average number of ADD attendees in Apalit, Pampanga alone during regular thanksgivings is 70,000. If GMA7 thought of creatively increasing their ratings by dealing with this rape case where the accused is an international figure, then this network made a false move. This is the current mood of the ADD now that posted many critical assessments of that GMA show.
The presentation tackled only the side of the complainant, Veridiano, and nothing for the accused, Bro. Eliseo Soriano. As presented in Clavio’s program, Veridiano also added more lies to his statements, obviously calculated to mislead the public and that he is an innocent victim.
Veridiano has become a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo whose habit appears to be that of maligning Soriano. Preacher Soriano routinely exposes the INC of their false beliefs using largely the text discourses in the INC magazine, Pasugo. With it, Soriano has found many errors which he would discuss in bible expositions that obviously embarrass the INC ministers no end. As an effect, the dwindling of the INC membership is credited to Soriano whose preachings were able to enlighten several members of the INC to leave their chapels and join ADD.
“It was in May of 2000 when he summoned me to his room. I was shocked at what followed. At that time I couldn’t resist his advances. There is a teaching in Ang Dating Daan which says the messenger of God does not commit sin. Whatever he does to you is right and just. At that time, I was really terrified of him; and there also is a teaching in Ang Dating Daan that one must do what Soriano tells him to do, at all times. Obey him, otherwise you’ll be cursed. Something really, really bad will happen to you if you disobey this supposed messenger of God,” Veridiano said in Clavio’s program.
Veridiano ended his drama with this statement that sounded like a warning about a dangerous man: “If I don’t fight and speak up, a lot of people will be in danger; and they need to know what he really is and that he is not sinless and he is not true.”
The Ang Dating Daan is readying charges against Veridiano, Arnold Clavio, and GMA. Veridiano knows very well that there is no teaching in Ang Dating Daan from where he was ex-communicated that the messenger does not commit sin and that what he tells one to do is a command to be followed or else one gets cursed.
That Veridiano had been raping his subordinates over many years, taking advantage of a Church credit card for a considerable time, vacationing around beaches during worship services, and traveling abroad at the expense of the Church money entrusted to him are facts that run counter to his made-up stories. Soriano said Veridiano was given all the chances to reform, but he did not. Instead, he tried to cover up some of his doings that surfaced later on after he was expelled from the ADD environs.
Veridiano was excommunicated from the church by Soriano in August 2005 upon recommendation of an investigating panel tasked to look into complaints of raping his subordinates at the ADDCIT, and gross misappropriation of church funds. Some 14 boys had complained of rape and acts of lasciviousness where Veridiano had admitted of the 9 in a confession letter that he wrote to two ministers of the Church dated November 21, 2004.
Records show that the double rape case was filed in October 2005 but was dismissed on January 6, 2006 for lack of evidence by the Regional Court of Pampanga. It was re-filed in higher court by the then Secretary of Justice, Raul Gonzalez who was particularly interested in the case. Through a memorandum to RSP Jesus Simbulan, ORSP, Region III, Gonzalez directed that the records of the case be elevated to his office. To the Ang Dating Daan, however, this action is highly irregular and suspect.
As earlier reported, Soriano explained to the congregation worldwide via satellite that he could not give a statement regarding the case. As such, Clavio should not have gone ahead and aired that episode, knowing fully well that his report is not balanced.
“There was an email to me why we do not answer the broadcast of GMA. There is a principle of sub judice. Under our laws, I cannot answer because I will be cited for contempt of court. That case has just started. It should not be part of the program, Case Unclosed,” Soriano said. “If a case is already in the court, you cannot speak on the merits of it. That would be under the principle of sub judice. However, not talking about it does not mean that we are not responding at all,” he added.
Meanwhile, members of Ang Dating Daan are actively encouraging their peers to delete GMA from their list of TV channels. All over the web, all church locales including those overseas are actively voicing their opinions of a biased TV network. Behind it all, however, they see the invisible hand of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) that habitually makes things difficult for the preacher and the ADD.
The INC intervention in the biblical expositions of Preacher Soriano reveals a pattern. Whenever the ADD would rent public venues for the affair, most often there is interruption, or the management of the place that has been paid for, calls for cancellation. This was what happened in Bulacan. In Malolos, a new Chief of Police that was a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo said the ADD could not use the paid-for venue but he could not give a reason at all. The ADD staff had to remove all their stuff and leave the place.
They recall that the same thing happened in Cainta, Rizal, in Tagaytay, and in Puerto Princesca of Palawan. In Palawan, it was the Office of the President, Gloria Arroyo, that called management not to let ADD use the facilities.
In Virac, Catanduanes, the management did not allow the ADD to use the facilities. Electrical wires were destroyed just so the air conditioning system of the building would not be usable. The bible exposition then was delayed.
Soriano then reminded his men not to be renting public places as the public officials are beholden to the Iglesia ni Cristo. The INC finds power in their practice of bloc voting where every member has to vote for the choice of their church leader. Every election time, the New Era palace of the INC in the Commonwealth Avenue of Quezon City becomes the beat of politicians seeking their endorsement. Such endorsements later on, however, transform into political debts that have to be collected later on in the form of interventions in government systems. This is what Preacher Soriano would condemn often as the root cause of corruption in government systems to include justice.
“I think they want to put me on hold,” Bro. Soriano said, referring to the INC. Perhaps they are so envious that we are able to establish churches in other parts of the world. Let them wait for the fulfillment of the prophecy. Let them witness the unfolding of the Church of God in the West.
“The Church of Manalo came ahead of us in Saudi Arabia but we are greater in number now than they are. I don’t know if they can influence the government here. The laws here are different,” Soriano who is overseas said.
Ang Dating Daan boycotts giant TV network GMA, Bro. Eli decries harassment
Manila, Philippines (6/23/09) – The congregation of the Members Church of God, International (MCGI), more popularly known as Ang Dating Daan (ADD) have declared a formal boycott on GMA, a giant television network in the country for its biased and uncalled-for airing of a case against its Presiding Minister filed by one he had excommunicated in 2005.
GMA7, through Case Unclosed anchored by Arnold Clavio, on the night of June 18, 2009, tackled the double rape case filed against Bro. Eliseo Soriano by Daniel Veridiano alias Puto. The preacher had excommunicated the complainant from MCGI way back in 2005 for raping some 14 of his subordinates, and misappropriating church funds for personal use. Failing to be forgiven and received back into the folds of MCGI, Veridiano joined the Iglesia ni Cristo, where Soriano is its most severe critic.
Before some 70,000 members gathered in a week-end thanksgiving in Apalit, Pampanga, and several thousands more in 6 continents, the preacher explained on June 23, 2009 over satellite that he cannot issue any statement to a current case, otherwise risk himself to the sub judice rule. Sub judice, in legal parlance means “under judicial deliberation” or “awaiting judicial determination,” or in simple terms, “not yet decided.”
“There was no sense of justice and equity in the Case Unclosed of Arnold Clavio over GMA7. In the first place, the invented rape case against me is still in the courts,” the subject of Arnold Clavio’s program said.
In last Thursday’s episode of Case Unclosed, Veridiano played resource person, and without batting an eyelash, repeated what he had been saying ever since: that on two occasions in 2000 and 2001, the preacher raped him. As recorded in the court case, these incidents had been denied by Bro. Soriano and with evidences presented in the court, the case was dismissed on January 26, 2006 as penned by Alexandro Lopez, Assistant Provincial Prosecutor of Region III, San Fernando, Pampanga and as approved by Jesus Y. Manarang, the Provincial Prosecutor.
But months later, however, Raul Gonzalez, Secretary of Justice, on March 21, 2006, directed Regional State Prosecutor Jesus Simbulan to elevate the records of the rape case to his office, the Department of Justice. The Ang Dating Daan considers this as highly irregular and for a Secretary of Justice to be doing this, DOJ appears to have become personal and justice owned and franchised by some selected citizens.
“There was an email to me why we do not answer the broadcast of GMA. There is a principle of sub judice. Under our laws, I cannot answer because I will be cited for contempt of court. That case has just started. It should not be part of the program, Case Unclosed,” Soriano said. “ If a case is already in the court, you cannot speak on the merits of it. That would be under the principle of sub judice. However, not talking about it does not mean that we are not responding at all,” he added.
For a self-confessed serial rapist, Veridiano was given credibility by Arnold Clavio. Veridiano also was the star of the moment when the preacher’s bio was placed in the wanted list of the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol as requested allegedly by a Macabebe, Pampanga court for “sex crimes” - the word “crimes” to make it to Interpol level.
The international activities, however, of Soriano, is preaching the gospel now centered in the West.
Veridiano has become the accuser, and influential bodies like the courts of Pampanga, the DOJ and recently, the GMA TV have become vehicles used against Soriano. To Soriano’s group, however, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is behind all these moves in a desperate attempt to destroy the credibility of the preacher. His challenge to Eraño Manalo to an open debate on TV as published in Manila Times dated March 27, 2005 to “once and for all settle our doctrinal differences” remains un-responded to until today. What remains active from the Manalo camp are filing of cases against him, using excommunicated members of Ang Dating Daan.
The INC practices bloc voting (“command votes”) where every member votes for their leader’s choice, a practice that has hooked Philippine politics ever since. No politician would dare displease INC leadership for want of power. Soriano, however, as fearless preacher, does not consider INC beliefs as godly and therefore exposes whatever he knows in every instance that he is asked. He has a program, “Ask Soriano,” where everyone can ask questions on matters of salvation and INC beliefs are most often touched.
Bro. Soriano said that what Arnold Clavio tackled in his program is not considered tenable. What Clavio could have discussed are vintage cases like the bribery issue concerning former Justice Secretary Hernani Perez and the anomaly in the Expo Filipino, he said.
Arnold Clavio used to co-anchor Unang Hirit of GMA7 with Daniel Razon, the Vice Presiding Minister of MCGI. Razon, who is now playing it great in UNTV as Executive, was asked by GMA some years back to choose between his religion and his job. Asked not to be mentioning “Iglesia ni Cristo,” Razon uttered: “I would rather lose my job than lose my God!” Razon was then yanked out of GMA7.
Soriano notes that although the Iglesia ni Cristo tries hard to press charges on him, “there is no case filed by the Church of Manalo in which I was convicted,” he said. “Our enemies accuse us of the evil deeds they are doing, and wanting to cover up the evil works of their group, they impute their crimes on us,” he told the congregation.
When his lawyers updated him on court matters, Soriano said there is hardly justice in the country. “This is a clear harassment and religious persecution. I can fully defend myself if the International court of Justice will allow me,” Soriano said.
Ang Dating Daan ready to boycott GMA, leads signature campaign for Justice Puno
Manila, Philippines (6/18/09) – Mass messages had been going around the membership of the Ang Dating Daan (ADD), officially called Members Church of God International (MCGI) calling for the boycott of GMA, one of the greater TV stations in the country.
The text suggested boycotting GMA and all its programs, with the information that the Presiding Minister, Bro. Eliseo Soriano is a topic in Case Unclosed, and the resource person is Daniel Veridiano, alias Puto, a former member of MCGI.
Case Unclosed is a program aired every Thursday evenings by GMA Network and is currently hosted by Arnold Clavio.
Before some 70,000 members gathered on a recent Saturday thanksgiving at the ADD Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga, north of Manila, and another set of thousands of members scattered throughout the globe in six continents, Bro. Eli Soriano told the congregation to prepare themselves for what may happen when GMA releases another report that is not totally representative of truth.
Records show that Daniel Veridiano was excommunicated in August 2005 by Preacher Soriano upon the recommendation of an investigating panel for various offenses unacceptable to the doctrines of the Church. In his bid to be forgiven, Veridiano wrote a confession letter admitting having raped only nine of his subordinates, but 14 were complaining. When asked to explain the difference, he said he could not remember anymore.
Because of the gravity of his offenses, including widespread misappropriation of funds of the Church, Veridiano failed to be acceptable to the ADD. He then joined the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), an arch enemy of Bro. Eli Soriano. Now in the grace of the Iglesia ni Cristo, he filed two cases of rape against his benefactor some four to five years after these offenses were allegedly committed.
The case was dismissed by the Regional Court of San Fernando, Pampanga but was re-filed by Raul Gonzalez, who until this week was Secretary of Justice. Worse, Bro. Soriano was placed on the watchlist of the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol for “sex crimes,” an offense he was never accused of in any court.
Soriano accused the Iglesia ni Cristo as being behind all these harassments in a desperate bid to blemish his reputation. The INC practices bloc voting wherein every member must vote for the choice of their leader. This explains why politicians would never try to displease the INC leadership. During election time, all roads lead to their doors and every candidate endorsed would feel elated.
It is public knowledge that whenever the Evangelist Soriano is asked questions concerning Christ in his biblical expositions, the discussion always leads to the Iglesia ni Cristo that believes that Christ is a man, always a man, and will remain a man. This would lead to classifying the INC as a false religion, a matter that gets the goat of every INC minister. Soriano is the most vocal critic of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
What had always been a proud, powerful religion that could make and unmake kings, only Soriano is able to tell to its face, “Face the truth; you are fake; you are not what you profess to be!” The preacher has a program, “Ask Soriano” that makes him the most queried man on earth. Referred to as the only sensible preacher in our time, Soriano is considered the nemesis of all false preachers.
In revealing this news, Soriano instructed his men to watch closely the members – especially the former members of the Iglesia ni Cristo – never to take revenge on their hands. “Leave it to God,” he would say. “Just continue doing good.”
With Clavio’s impending presentation of Case Unclosed without any input from the ADD Presiding Minister himself, or the physical presence of his attorneys, the congregation has already guessed it will just be another biased Iglesia ni Cristo – inspired item. Bro. Soriano went on exile in 2005 when he could no longer seek justice in the country.
Incidentally, the Ang Dating Daan would opt for an intelligent and morally upright man to lead the Philippines. Claiming they are tired of crooks and untrustworthy people easily twisted by outside influence, the best choice according to Bro. Eli is Reynato S. Puno, the incumbent Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Puno is eligible to run for elections should he retire earlier. However, Puno denied speculations that he will retire from the position of Chief Justice before May 17, 2010. Some quarters, however, claim that Puno never said yes, neither no.
Records show that as early as 2008, people were already asking Chief Justice Puno if he would consider running for president. Evidently, the question came up after the CJ’s deciding the corruption case against the Court of Appeals justices. In an interview with media men, for example, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn banked for CJ Puno as someone credible enough with track record in the judiciary to be president.
The Chief Justice is said to accommodate invitations from Christian groups not just because of his commitment to uphold justice but to “share the word about salvation.”
The ADD signature campaign for CJ Puno for president is very much active in Mindanao. According to Bro. Eli, justice in the Philippines is so much wanting that every judge who wants to get promoted would readily prosecute him.
NOTE: This was written hours just before the Case Unclosed was shown.
Dr. Jose Rizal’s language very much alive in Bro. Eli Soriano
On Friday, June 19, 2009, the Filipinos would again be marking Dr. Jose Rizal’s 148th birthday. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado, born June 19, 1861 at Calamba, Laguna, is recognized a national hero. At the young age of 35, the man considered as the greatest Filipino patriot of all time, accused of treason by the Spanish colonial government, was shot by a firing squad.
Historical records bear no name as to who killed Jose Rizal but his very own countrymen were used to shoot him dead. Nothing was also identified as the exact reason for his killing. In fact, Rizalista websites suggest that it was his turning to truth that did him in.
In 1889, Rizal wrote a Letter to the Young Women of Malolos, praising them for their courage. At that time, the country was under the rule of Spain, which rule ended in1898.
Filipininana.net describes the background:
Written in Tagalog, Jose Rizal wrote this letter – upon the request of Marcelo H. del Pilar – on 17 February 1889 in London while annotating Morga’s book. The letter praises the young women of Malolos for their perseverance to pursue the establishment of a “night school” where they can study Spanish. Based on accounts, on 12 December 1888, 20 young women from Malolos petitioned Governor-General Weyler for the establishment of a “night school” to study Spanish under Teodoro Sandiko, a professor of Latin. However, Fr. Felipe Garcia, the Spanish parish priest, objected to the petition, prompting the governor-general to dismiss the petition. Unperturbed, the young women continued with their clamor (for the establishment of the school) and eventually succeeded. Señora Guadalupe Reyes became the teacher of the women. The school remained open for three months. (Written by Teresa Lovely C. Rebatis ; Edited by Frederick N. Castillo).
THERE IS NO MORE RIZAL in the country, but his language is very much alive. Some sectors believe that listening to Bro. Eliseo Soriano of Ang Dating Daan, will make one notice a striking resemblance. Rizal is dead; Soriano is alive; but two of them speak the same language, same tone, same fervor in spirit. Two of them speak without fear; two of them wanted for their dauntless articulations.
Rizal was considered by the Spaniards as one of the best writers around. Soriano is hated for his most articulate tongue that spared no one that deceived anyone. Rizal was an exile; Soriano now is. Both men left their country to have an easier time to breathe and do their own work.
Preacher Soriano is alive but he is being hunted – by those who cannot stand his tongue. Should people one day find him killed by his own countrymen, it is not far-fetched. The ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo in the Ang Tamang Daan of Net 25 had already been boldly suggesting his death by way of saying that a coffin, red carpet, and candles are ready, as well as the Amurao Funeral Home for Bro. Soriano. The Ang Dating Daan sector believe that it will happen, however, only if God allows it.
Bro. Soriano is the Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God International (MCGI) with church locales in six continents. The Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) is his highly successful radio-tv program that has consistently garnered web awards in the last six years. MCGI is more popularly known to the public as Ang Dating Daan.
Here are the excerpts from Rizal’s Letter that bears the usual discourses of Bro. Eli Soriano. The resemblance was much noted in a Translation Clinic given recently to some 40 Ang Dating Daan participants for language translation exercises. Without an author’s name, the excerpts were thought to come from Bro. Soriano’s bible exposition discourses.
THE EXCERPTS
Now that you have responded to our first appeal for the welfare of our people; now that you have set an example for those who, like you, long to have their eyes opened and be delivered from servitude, our hopes are revived and with you as our allies we even dare to face adversity, confident of victory.
No longer do Filipino women have to stand with their heads bowed or appear on bended knees. Hope for the future now quickened their heart-beats. No longer is there any mother who will contribute to the blindness of her daughter and raise her in self-contempt and utter moral debasement. Submission to an unjust order or ready complaisance is no longer the quintessence of wisdom. Nor a polite smile now the only weapon against insult or a humble tear the ineffable panacea for all tribulations.
You already know that God’s will is different and distinct from the will of a priest; that religiousness does not consist in bending one’s knees for a long time, much less in mumbling kilometrical prayers, counting the heads of big rosaries, and wearing grimy scapularies. It consists rather in spotless conduct, in the purity of one’s intention and in the uprightness of one’s judgment or criterion. You know that prudence does not mean blind obedience to whatever whims may strike the fancy of godlings. It means doing what is reasonable and just, because blind obedience is itself the cause of such whims, and hence those who provoke them are the real sinners.
Officials or friars can no longer assert that they alone are responsible for their unjust orders, because God has endowed each person with reason and a will of his or her own, and that reason enables its possessor to distinguish what is just from what is unjust. All of us were born free, unshackled, and nobody has the right to subjugate the will and the spirit of another. And why should one submit one’s thoughts, free and noble, to another?
It is cowardice and a mistake to believe that saintliness is blind obedience and that prudence and the ability to think are signs of presumption. Ignorance has ever been ignorance; it has never been prudence and honor. God, the primal source of all wisdom, does not demand that man, created in his own image, allow himself to be deceived or hoodwinked. He wants us to use and let shine the light of reason with which he has so mercifully endowed us. He is like the father who handed a torch to each of his sons to light their way in the darkness, bidding them to keep its flame ever bright and not to trust to the light of the others, but to help and advise one another to find the right path. Fools they would be if they fell headlong for following the light of another; and the father would be right in reproaching them, thus: “Did I not give a torch to each of you?” But he would have no reason to hide them if they fell due to the light of their respective torches because then the light might have been dim and the road extremely bad.
Nobody, but nobody, talks like this anymore in the country except Bro. Eli Soriano. When it comes to truth, he cannot stop talking – not even add nor diminish, he says.
Warning: More Hateblogs Against Bro. Eli Soriano
Just like other blogs from the Iglesia ni Cristo, the group that is most resentful of the corrections of the preacher, here are more videos that repeat those already from the Ka Webspy Network and speak against Bro. Eliseo Soriano
Ka Webspy is Sustines E. Laplana from the Iglesia ni Cristo.
Here’s the catch:
The intro video pretends to be a joke in order to qualify for the comedy site. Hence, it was able to be posted in smashits.com where one would expect comedies. It is actually a trap.
Titled, “Stop videotaping Geoff,” the author is Geoffisteh1337 . A nonsensical video, it shows a guy simply walking and saying stop. And then follows the poison.
The poison? Nine videos against the preacher. No comedy but twisting of what the preacher said and did.
As publicly known, Bro. Soriano is fair game to the Iglesia ni Cristo. They enjoy tearing him apart. On TV, they use Net25 where they imitate the preacher’s program but use it against him. It is parallel to the style of their bloggers using Soriano’s name against Soriano.
First, and foremost, they blame him for the fast deteriorating of their numbers. The preacher would be playing the tapes from Eraño Manalo, the Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo, that are so full of errors if the bible is the basis. Here they are, in addition to those already posted. Note the hatred and envy carried in the terms used.
1) KOMIKS: Eli Soriano SCANDAL – Komiks
2) ELI SORIANO: Kapantasan ni Eli Soriano
3) Eli Soriano PANTAS sa EARTHLY KNOWLEDGE?
4) Hebrew Aphabet ni Josel Mallari at Eli Soriano
5) ELI SORIANO: Ang Dios ni Eli Soriano
6) MTV ni Eli Soriano – MTV
7) Eliseo Eli Soriano VS. Luz Cruz – Pagtatatak
8) Sino NANGOPYA, Eli Soriano o SAKSI ni JEHOVA?
9) ELI SORIANO – P500,000 PANLAGAY ni Eliseo Soriano
Actually, these have appeared in earlier sites but their game is replication in as many sites as possible – as if that would convince people to their side.
The persistent multiplication of these blogs may indicate that their attempt to embarrass Bro. Soriano using the Interpol has failed.
The preacher’s bio appears in the Interpol Wanted Persons’ section for alleged “sex crimes” based on a rape charge. The complainant and supposed victim of the preacher is Daniel Veridiano whom Soriano had excommunicated upon recommendation of an investigating panel in the Members Church of God International (MCGI) where the preacher is Presiding Minister.
Veridiano was found guilty of raping some 14 of his subordinates and using church money for personal purposes. The confession letter at the left written in Tagalog can be visibly read here:
http://kotawinters.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/warning-more-hateblogs-against-bro-eli-soriano/letter/
Thank you for the sorrows – Preacher in exile
The following is an account of systematic attempts to destroy the credibility of the most fearless preacher hereabouts. With faith in his heart, however, he says he cannot stop, delete nor add to what he is supposed to say.
NEVERTHELESS, he thanks his enemies because their persecution has led him to foreign shores and from there, he found many thirsting for truth. With people wanting him dead, he still goes on with the work of salvation.
By Jane Abao
Salamat po, gracias, obrigado, arigato,
Merci, xie xie, do jeh, ta, danke, terima kasih,
Grazie, kamsa hamnida, spasibo,
Mahalo, merci beaucoups,
Thank you.
Thank you may go to a person who did a good job, for one who had a bright idea, for one who has rendered us something. Thank you may be said to a person who has helped us, saved us, had comforted us. Thank you may be given to one who had fixed problems for us.
There are many reasons we can be thankful for – our lives, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the sunshine in the morning, the birds that chirp, the blue skies above. Rarely does it come upon our mind that these things should be thanked for – and to whom it should be given. Sadly, too, there are people that do not know how to give thanks.
Taken to another level, people normally give thanks to other people, but not to God. There is a group that does not thank their peers. They thank God instead – one they recognize as the source of all good things – power, strength, talents, life. They realize that they are nothing without God. They do not thank each other; they thank God. While you can hear others say, alleluia, praise God, to them it is almost always, Thanks be to God. As almost everybody gives thanks to people, they also thank them only for what is pleasurable.
Again, we have this same group of people that thank God even for misfortunes, even for disasters in their life. They know that these misfortunes are but blessings in disguise. They may not understand what it is at the moment, but later on, at the end of the day, they can find something good. All of these strange and new behaviors are part of the paradigm taught in the Members Church of God International led by Bro. Eliseo Soriano.
Take the case of someone who got mad and wrote on the walls with his feces. When the Japanese forces came, they sent him out of the camp as he was crazy – a liability and not an asset. Sometime after that, the place was bombed. Result: he would have died in that place. He lived to tell the story – and thank God he had become crazy.
A matronly woman was troubled that the boys didn’t wake up early to drive her to the bus station. She was hurrying, hurrying, but the boys slept like dead logs and rose up only in their own sweet time. Result: she had to take the next trip then to the province, much to her consternation because her mission was urgent. While on their way home, they passed through the scene of an accident. The first bus that she wanted so much to catch in the early morning fell into a deep ravine where many died.
Some thank God for their deprivations in life – physical, material, financial, or otherwise, for it is these things that have allowed them to have a consciousness of a loving and comforting Creator. Poverty, for example, or similar deprivations, has honed some to be patient and be understanding and tolerant of others. Discrimination in the justice system is one thing difficult to understand; more so when judges who are supposed to dispense with justice are the very ones selling justice to the highest bidder. When this syndrome gets installed as the very system obtaining, where would one go for reprieve but to God?
There are yet so many reasons to thank God for, even in instances where everything seems ugly because there can be a way out. When Martial Law was declared in the Philippines, student leaders were being hounded for their past activities in denouncing the repressive government. One was placed under house arrest by the Southwest Command of the military for a number of months. What was she thankful for? That she was placed under arrest for her political opinions. And the rest is history.
Thank you is a word we merely forget to appreciate but it means a lot. The case of Cain killing his brother Able just because of jealousy over God’s appreciating his brother’s thankfulness is a case in point. The shock the story provides points to the sanctity of God and the importance of being grateful to Him as expressed in one’s behavior. To give thanks is some sacred duty man has to perform properly. You do not merely say, “thank you.” Your heart has to be pure and go in tandem with your thankfulness.
The people of God in the Church of God thank Him through regular activities. In the Philippines where the Central Administration is based, weekly thanksgivings are held every Saturday as are International Thanksgivings every quarter of the year. Hook-up monitoring is made possible in local chapters all over the country for those who could not go to the Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga, north of Manila. It is the same with the many Church chapters abroad.
The Members Church of God International more popularly known as Ang Dating Daan (ADD) celebrates its thanksgiving days through songs of praise and the rendering of biblical topics by the church leaders. Individually and in groups, the celebrants express thanks. As normally done, Bro. Daniel Razon would speak on management matters first, updates the congregation of Church development and projects, and then gives an introduction to the topic for the day to be discussed by Bro. Eliseo Soriano. Razon is the Vice Presiding Minister of the congregation while the latter is the Presiding Minister.
According to Bro. Eli, thankfulness is part of the prophecy for God’s people mentioned in Jeremiah 30:19 –
And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. (KJV)
Interacting with the God Almighty, day in and day out, it is not surprising to be hearing the members thank God instead of persons. Hence, instead of saying thank you to the person giving them something, they say, Thanks be to God! As in the language of text messaging, it is Tnxb2G! To those outside of the church, however, these people simply say, thank you.
Big Mouth: embracing a Jeremiah 26:2 role
Today, in the Church of God, they thanked again The Almighty for Big Mouth’s 46th year of service. Big Mouth is Bro. Eli – the nemesis of false prophets. His enemies call him that for sheer envy. They even draw the figure of a big mouth to go with their tirades. However, as events prove it, the more they try to destroy him, the more he gets highlighted for his work of salvation. The congregation thanked God for all these miseries Big Mouth is reaping – the very ones that that have driven him away to far-away lands where God has opened the West entirely to his preaching.
People may not like what Bro. Soriano is saying, but he says he gets backing from the scriptures. And God said, I will give you a mouth that others cannot assail – this, much Bro. Soriano has faith in. Loathed by some, it is the very instrument in the propagation of His words in the West as it was done in the East. Consider Luke 21:15 –
for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict. (World English Bible).
With the resultant court troubles he reaps, it is clear that it takes guts to expose preachers who fool people, and the willingness to be a tool for truth. As no other preacher is following his track but his ministers, it is also clear that people would rather keep quiet to save their tails and stay free from trouble. However, for one given a commission, it definitely is not the same. That he has to say what there is to say in his crusade for truth is apparent from his embracing a Jeremiah 26:2 role. However, understanding this role and even what he is doing is not everybody. As stated in the bible, only the wise shall understand. In Daniel 12:10 -
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand (KJV)
False prophets revealed
An understanding of the work of Bro. Soriano is necessary to understand these protracted conflicts with others that continue to grow and remain ever blooming. The framework from which he operates may be summed up in some distinct verses in the bible although repeated in so many forms. Two of these are the following: Proverbs 28: 4 and Jeremiah26:2. The former speaks of contention and the latter, of not deleting nor adding a word.
Already, he had exposed the false teachings of Felix Manalo of the Iglesia ni Cristo, Apollo C. Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name; Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda” of the Creciendo en Gracia,” the so-called Jehovah’s witnesses and many others.
Bro. Eli has called Felix Manalo of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) a false prophet for his many false teachings. These include denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ. With the INC, Christ is man, always a man and will be a man when he comes back. His false teachings also constitute the claim that the Christian Church “was apostatized after the first century” and “was restored to its pristine purity by God by means of His last messenger, brother Felix Y. Manalo…” (Pasugo, July/August 1988, page 7). This includes salvation coming only through this church according to Manalo (Pasugo, November 1973, page 19).
Bro. Soriano also noted that INC believe Felix Y. Manalo is the ravenous bird from the east mentioned in Isaiah 46:11 – “the man that executeth my counsel from a far country” hence they look up to him as God’s messenger.
Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. (Isaiah 46:11, King James Bible).
They also believe Manalo is the fulfillment of Isaiah 43:5-7 who will ‘bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.”
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth- 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Isaiah 43:5-7, New International Version).
This is closely tied to Rev 7:2, 3 about “another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God.” No wonder, they believe Manalo is a messenger of God.
2And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” (New American Standard Bible (NASB) Rev 7:2, 3)
As far as Bro. Eli is concerned, Apollo C. Quiboloy is also fake. As written in his website –
The revelation of SONSHIP started in the year 2003 when Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy officially announced this revelation among the sons and daughters of God. He, being the residence of the Father on earth and heir of all things the Father entrusted to him not only His words, name, life, kingdom but also the lives of his enemies, the power to raise even the dead, riches, fame and power in the airwaves. (http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/kd/sonship.html).
Quiboloy has declared Davao City, south of the country as “the Water Center of the World, from whence all nations will receive eternal life when they drink of the spiritual water that comes from Davao City as the New Jerusalem of God.” His website message from “the Son” says –
Now, everything is restored. Paradise is here. Man has been renewed and the Garden of Eden is back. There is a mountain up there, which was my trial ground before, a place where the spirits were present to try and test the Appointed Son of God. I had passed the test and many more are following. That is the same place that the Father has made His Garden of Eden today. It is a showcase of the new earth and the new heaven (http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.org/2/index.php).
Bro. Eli has openly called this preacher a deceiver. On February 6, 2005, on Sonshine Radio Manila, 1026 kHz AM, Quiboloy cursed Pastor Soriano in his sermon for “blaspheming the Father.” Quiboloy said the preacher of the Ang Dating Daan is already being marked for hell, and that he will be stricken with an incurable disease in the months ahead. He gave the “members of Ang Dating Daan” six months from the time of his pronouncement to leave the congregation or else suffer the same fate as their leader. His Sonshine Radio Manila repeated this over and over for a number of weeks. Today, Bro. Soriano is still alive, still giving worldwide bible expositions, and the congregation is all the more thriving and growing worldwide.
According to Bro. Eli, this Quiboloy himself exposed his own falsity just for that pronouncement that did not come true. The statements of those sent by God are confirmed by God, Bro. Eli said.
There is also Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, 61, a poor Puerto Rican who had enriched himself through deceit. Interviewed in NBC, he said in this international television that the devil or satan does not exist, that prayer is a waste of time, that in God’s eyes his followers cannot sin, and that he is God. (He is more called De Jesus in media than Miranda).
According to CNN.com, De Jesus leads his church, “Creciendo en Gracia,” (Growing in grace) that is said to claim thousands of members in more than 30 countries. (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/16/miami.preacher/index.html)
De Jesus said he learned he was Jesus reincarnate when he was visited in a dream by angels in 1988. Prophets spoke to him, he said, and that he was who they were expecting in 2,000 years – much like the claim of Apollo Quiboloy who said he is the Appointed Son of God.
Crazier than Quiboloy, De Jesus has 666 tattooed on his arm which action some 30 of his members imitated, according to John Zarrella and Patrick Oppmann of CNN. And yet, this is not supposed to be associated with anti-Christ, he says. He also preaches a different truth: that he is the new Jesus Christ –
“Antichrist is the best person in the world…. Antichrist means don’t put your eyes on Jesus because Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t a Christian. Antichrist means do not put your eyes on Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Put it on Jesus after the cross.”
Hell does not exist according to De Jesus and that the devil has been destroyed. This kind of preaching may explain the growth of his flock: According to him, there are two classes of people: those who reject his message and are therefore predestined, and those who accept his word as true. The latter are saved and cannot lose their salvation. Hence they are allowed to indulge in sin. These beliefs were posted on his website.
Jesus the Man as he is called, misinterpreted Romans 10:4 and Romans 7:8 to mean, if Jesus removed sin, you cannot be called a sinner. On July 22, 2006, calling himself Jesus Christ Man, he wrote on his website, “Today, I publicly accuse that all religions have lied to the world.”
Many others
One of the beliefs of Joseph Smith of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints or Mormon as stated in their Doctrines and Covenants: 61-62 is that man cannot commit adultery if he espouses a second virgin. This is what Bro. Soriano wrote about Smith -
According to Joseph Smith, which I will call a false prophet, this is a revelation that he received from God. I know that Joseph Smith has his god and his god is not the God of the Bible. I do not even want to call this group The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. With the standards of morality in the Bible the Mormons cannot be considered saints. Pardon me for saying these words.
So if you get two wives then you are not blameless. Just like what happened to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, the first two leaders of the Mormon Church that exists now in so many parts of the world. Brigham Young had 25 wives; 48 for Joseph Smith. They did not even abide by the revelation that they claim to have received from God. The revelation alleges that you can have only ten wives. But because of their greed for women and their lust, Joseph Smith had 48 and Brigham Young 25. (The Bible has the Highest Morality Code, www.esoriano.wordpress.com. Sept. 10, 2008,).
With Jehovah’s witnesses, this is the case. They are a worldwide religious organization teaching that ‘Jehovah’ is the real and personal name of God – a false religion according to Bro. Soriano -
Their claim and their teachings that they are witnesses for Jehovah do not only constitute misnomer, but a deceit, fallacy or hoax.
The name JEHOVAH is not the exact name of God but invented only by Jehovah’s pastors and in fact it was corrupted by adding vowel to its original which is YHWH. Therefore, the god they are worshipping and calling by name is not the God of the old Jews and Christians of the bible but a false god, and if they were obeying the will of their false god and false teacher then the inevitable conclusion is that they were the true witnesses but can be categorized as false witnesses also.
Contentious nature?
If Bro. Eli appears contentious outside the spheres of his church, the more he is with his own people. He practices what he preaches and expects that the whole of the teachings of the bible are applied. As rendered by the King James Bible, in Proverbs 28:4 – “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.”
More so that there are expected certain behaviors in the House of God. The very events that happen in his own congregation show a manager quick to correct the flaws of his people given his notice. There are structures in place for complaints or grievances to be heard. Should there be a need for sanctions, they are applied at the right time and in the correct proportion. There are warnings given and according to the circumstances surrounding the offence, if the person shows no inclination to change, chances are the person gets the end of the stick: a long term suspension, if not excommunication. On this score, many of those involved in filing cases against him are the very same persons he had excommunicated for various reasons.
Preacher in Exile
Bro. Eli left the Philippines towards the end of 2005 upon receipt of news that he would get killed. It was not for his own skin that he had to leave. His brothers in the faith would not allow any physical assault on him and he did not want to involve them.
The “rape charge” was expected to tear him to pieces. Fabricated no matter, it was blown up into “sex crimes” as his bio posted with the International Criminal Police Commission or Interpol board showed. It was supposed to be upon the request of the Regional court of Macabebe, Pampanga in the country.
The ministers of the Iglesia ni Cristo in Net 25 had anticipated events and reported about an “exodus” from Ang Dating Daan and this was repeated by their members in the Internet. This included Blogger Rizalino Arrabis who in his fighting mood described this exodus as caused by Preacher Soriano who had left his flock and went into hiding from authorities. As Elias Ibarra, he wrote a response on December 28th, 2008 to Colonel Gates in NowPublic.com –
It is not us that is suffering from debacles!!! It is your “Ang Dating Daan” cult!!! From 13,000 a few weeks ago, you are now reduced to more or less 10,000 and soon there will be no one left except the chigoes!!! Wake up!!! Where is now the remaining bravado and bragadocio of the phenomenal fugitive criminal pseudo-preacher? …. Stop your propaganda that your Dear Leader is doing bible expositions worldwide!!! There is none!!! Your remaining congregations are closing shop!!! Your cult is in total agony!!! You are in pain but you are still in denial stage!!!!
While the enemies of Bro. Eli thought he would be placed in an uncompromising position as the world’s agenda and be put to shame, the effect was the opposite.
The agenda
As agenda, Bro. Eli is being talked about and much focus is on him. The Interpol matter has put him in a very bad light but obviously only to those who do not know him. While his enemies may be rejoicing that he has finally been humiliated as a Wanted Person, it is a reason to be thankful for. He had to leave the country but now it is an opportunity to fulfill part of the Commission – the salvation of souls in the West.
Being agenda in this world, however, can be positive as well as destructive. The accusations on Bro. Eli include wild imaginations from the enemy from having debilitating sickness, to running away from the law as a criminal, to heading a cult, to stashing Church money in Switzerland, to putting church properties under his name [Truth: It’s the other way around. These are his properties but he placed them under the name of the Church, and none of his relatives may claim them when he dies]. Worse, they use as witnesses people who left their group like Marcos Mataro even as Mataro is dead. Were he alive, he would not condone that as he even died for his exposes as X-Man (Ex-Manalista or formermer member of the INC).
On March 3, 2009, Elias Ibarra [Real name: Rizalino L. Arrabis] posted in Topix.net:
Marcos Mataro was already speaking against the corrupt regime of Eliseo Fernando Soriano when the latter was discovered to have had stashed large amounts of money in Switzerland which belongs to the “Ang Dating Daan”cult!!! The properties and accounts of the cult are all under the name of Eliseo Fernando Soriano!!! He was confronted by some members and the result was his promise to place the properties and accounts under the cult’s name!!! But this never happened!!! Even from his cave, Eliang Soriano is not showing any remorse from what he did!!! The properties and bank accounts are still under his name!!! Daniel Razon and Navales never raised a howl!!! Jane Abao also!!! Why???? They are the immediate beneficiaries in case that debilitating sickness would start to outmaneuver the costly medications of the criminal fugitive!!!
It is to be recalled that Mataro, a UNTV host, and a very vocal critique of the Iglesia ni Cristo, was killed in broad daylight. Motorcycle-riding men shot dead Mataro on the service road of the North Luzon Expressway in San Simon, Pampanga, while waiting for a ride April 27, 2008. The motor vehicle abandoned at the crime of the scene was traced to a deacon of that church group.
On that same day, Arrabis, alias Ibarra, also posted: “The hiding of Eliseo Fernando Soriano is a good sign from above that even on this earth criminals could be already meted with punishment!!!….There is a great decrease in memberships while the complaints filed against Eliseo Fernando Soriano is mounting!!!”
Records show, however, that all these court cases are coming from only one group: the Iglesia ni Cristo and those whom Soriano had ex-communicated who had become their members.
The Excommunicated
From the Members Church of God International or Ang Dating Daan, there is a short list of those lining up to discredit Bro. Soriano. They are the excommunicated and they include Daniel Veridiano, alias Puto.
Puto was excommunicated by Bro. Eliseo Soriano upon recommendation by an investigating panel in the Members Church of God International where the preacher is the presiding minister. Puto was reported to have raped some 14 of his subordinates and have appropriated church money for personal needs, two offenses of which he had admitted and confessed on. Upon being turned down in his bid to be re-admitted in the church, he retaliated by joining the Iglesia ni Cristo, a church group that Bro. Eli had exposed for its false teachings.
Puto knew that the INC had over the years been filing case after case against Bro. Eli from libel to frustrated murder to obstruction of justice and others. With Puto going to the INC, the rape case saw many allies lining up to defend him including the Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzalez who had re-filed the case after it was dismissed for lack of evidence. From somebody then cast out by the Church of God for filth – physical and spiritual – he becomes the man of the hour who crucifies his benefactor.
Puto, himself, had long been using an identification card bearing the name of Eliseo Soriano to get things facilitated for himself, including a credit card that got him almost everything he wanted and whisked him wherever he wanted to go. After he was discovered at a time he was also being accused of several rape charges, he found himself without source of income where money is his weakness.
Going to the INC appeared the best alternative for Puto – both to seek revenge and to earn money. The destruction of Eliseo Soriano had long been the dream of the INC ministers as openly manifested in their Ang Tamang Daan program (a poor counterfeit of Ang Dating Daan) in Net25. In that program, they influenced people to get the neck of the preacher by giving details of his daily whereabouts. They instigated the Abu Sayyaf (Moro bandits south of the country) to go after Soriano, claiming that the preacher is against Islam.
The Iglesia ni Cristo is a powerful force to reckon with in the Philippines. With its block-voting practice, their endorsement is being sought for by politicians especially the president of the land. It is not without unfortunate results though. Once the endorsed candidate wins, the backfire is expressed in meddling in government affairs including the justice system. Their endorsements cannot just be found in election time. It also covers presidential appointments to sensitive positions of the land.
Discrimination by the courts
Soriano’s camp claims that the Secretary of Justice Raul Gonzalez was over-zealous in refiling the dismissed rape case filed by Daniel Veridiano against Eliseo Soriano. They ask if it would be the same if Puto was not a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo. (He was excommunicated by Soriano after which he joined the INC).
They also ask why Chairman Maria Consoliza Laguardia of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) is biased against Eliseo Soriano and his Ang Dating Daan Program versus the Iglesia ni Cristo. They are intrigued that saying “Iglesia ni Manalo” (church of Manalo) is offensive enough to suspend a TV program.
Soriano filed a complaint with the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in June 2005, against MTRCB’s decision to ban the program and its hosts from appearing on TV due to complaints filed by the Iglesia ni Cristo. The CHR ruled that MTRCB overstepped its authority by banning Soriano’s TV programs in 2005.
Bro. Soriano would also ask his congregation: if he files for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) why do the Iglesia ni Cristo get theirs in a whisk while it takes him years?
The conclusion of the matter seems to be that the powers that be have it all. Malou Mangahas in her report to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) claimed, “INC is a shrewd political and business operator. It parlays the votes of its members for political and financial concessions to the church.” (http://www.pcij.org/stories/2002/inc2.html)
While Puto got all the princely attention he needed from the grace of the Iglesia ni Cristo where he became a new member, whether he believed in their doctrines or not, Bro. Eli is fair game to him as Soriano is to those affiliated with the Iglesia ni Cristo and their supporters. Some quarters strongly believe that the good grace Puto is enjoying with the courts is on account of the INC using it to settle scores with Bro. Eli. They only wanted to stop his big mouth from further exposing them. The syndrome in media tells it all.
“Interpol wanted” news
An Alfred P. Dalizon of Journal Online (8/19/2008) wrote about Bro. Soriano as wanted by the Interpol. Clearly twisting facts, Dalizon exposed his links with the Iglesia ni Cristo in so many counts. Bro. Eliseo Soriano is an international fugitive, he said, running away from sex crimes.
The Interpol describes fugitives as “posing serious threat to public safety worldwide …. and financing their continued flight from the law through further criminal activities.” But as seen from video footages shown week after week in the church, Bro. Eli is here and there busy with bible expositions in six continents, propagating the words of God – not doing criminal activities. The new additions to the church membership come in thousands weekly to include those enlightened from the Iglesia ni Cristo, his arch critics.
Soriano’s camp asks, where is the crime victim to speak of, who is denied of justice so that an international order of arrest should be in order? From the records of the case, the investigating prosecutor found no probable cause to prosecute Soriano as he believed that Veridiano’s accusations were all lies and fabricated. The case that was filed sometime before October 5, 2005 was dismissed on January 26, 2006. It was penned by Alexandro Lopez, Asst. Provincial Prosecutor and approved by Jesus Magarang, Provincial prosecutor, Province of Pampanga, San Fernando City. It highly considered the rift going on between the INC and the ADD. It was only that the Secretary of Justice had the case refiled.
Dalizon again said that Bro. Eli is on a red notice. According to the Interpol, a red notice means the Interpo’s role is “To seek the arrest or provisional arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition.” There was not even a blue notice which role is “ to collect additional information about a person’s identity or activities in relation to a crime” nor a green notice “To provide warnings and criminal intelligence about persons who have committed criminal offences and are likely to repeat these crimes in other countries.”
Contrary to what Dalizon wanted the public to believe, the Interpol said an Interpol Red Notice is NOT an international arrest warrant. The Interpol also issues a warning that the person should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Dalizon also added that the accused Bro. Soriano is a former INC member as well as the complainant Veridiano who is just going back to his former fold, the INC. That both Soriano and Veridiano are claimed to be former INCs is a poor attempt of Dalizon to cosmeticize public impressions about the Iglesia ni Cristo. This practice is not uncommon though for reporters affiliated with the INC.
Research done?
After many posts contesting write-ups intended to malign Bro. Eli by the members of Ang Dating Daan in the Internet, the Interpol is believed to have done their own research. From the camp of the preacher, the Interpol is at least expected to understand the following by this time –
1) That Bro. Eli is admittedly a big mouth who does not spare anyone when it comes to truth. He speaks what he is sent for to speak. He cannot add nor delete. It is part of his Commission (Jeremiah 26:2).
2) That Bro. Eli is not what the report sent to the Interpol purportedly is by the court of Macabebe, Pampanga, Philippines. He never was accused of “sex crimes” in any court on earth except as appearing on the online page of the Interpol website.
3) That the one who sent the report is a liar by all counts, a heel that sorely lacks credibility. It is not expected that the Interpol believe everything passed on to them.
4) That between the complainant and the accused, this is the man to listen to.
Media Overkill
The Philippines is where Bro. Eli is mostly maligned – the country of his birth. From all the discrimination that he got including from the justice system, it is media that does the overkill. The preacher had many cases filed against him and this is fodder for media again and again, not even mentioning that they were coming from the same source: those he had excommunicated from the Church of God and had transferred to the Iglesia ni Cristo, and the INC itself through their ministers.
If this fact is suppressed in media reports, not everybody can be fooled from the patterns that appear. Some quarters of the public are already aware of the long ADD-INC feud that includes doctrinal issues. This was noted by the court that dismissed the rape case filed sometime before October 5, 2005 and was dismissed on January 26, 2006. The decision was the one penned by Alexandro Lopez, Asst. Provincial Prosecutor and approved by Jesus Magarang, Provincial prosecutor, Province of Pampanga, San Fernando City.
With the media, however, there is much quoting and re-posting without effort to check sources.
ABS-CBN. Consider the ABS-CBN Interactive. For about two years, it bannered the rape story and only the date was changing. The name of Veridiano as complainant was also changed to Pedriano. This news outfit was used by Wikipedia as a reference but was dropped for another. ADD writers booed it in the form of many comments online like it was posting an advertisement for the INC. Thereafter, it changed its name to ABS-CBN Online but remains the same careless outfit that does not check its facts before posting.
The camp of Soriano scores Wikipedia for its wanton need for controversy and welcoming more the negative posts of the Iglesia ni Cristo without close scrutiny of their sources.
Wkipedia wrote -
A similar exposition was featured on ABS-CBN’s Special Assignment hosted by Luchi Cruz-Valdez. Cruz-Valdez interviewed former members regarding the information presented in a series of anonymously-published comics depicting the alleged anomalous activities of Soriano. The former members unequivocally-confirmed the factuality of the information in the comics…” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliseo_Soriano).
These were the very same comics that angered much Bro. Soriano for they depicted him of sodomy. Even as they were written anonymous, Soriano’s camp have witnesses that these were coming from the chapels of the Iglesia ni Cristo as testified by Abner Martizano, a former minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo who got affiliated with the Church of God. The “former members” referred to were those excommunicated by Soriano for various offenses. And yet the excommunication angle was suppressed in the presentation of reports by Wikipedia. There was no mention of it.
Wikipedia. Wikipedia appears habitually careless about the information it is quoting. It said, “ Eliseo ‘Eli’ Soriano is in hiding and is now an international fugitive. An International Arrest Warrant was issued against him.” It quoted Alfred P. Dalizon which published a newsreport on August 8, 2008 in World News (Journal Online). This was the very same news item being protested by editors of the Ang Dating Daan. Alfred Dalizon titled this (August 8, 2008), “Int’l arrest warrant out for Eli Soriano”. World News (Journal Online). http://article.wn.com/view/2008/08/16/Intl_arrest_warrant_out_for_Eli_Soriano/.
By merely quoting Dalizon who has been exposed with INC links by ADD editors, Wikipedia is showing its ignorance in referencing. For example, Dalizon has already pigeonholed Soriano as a fugitive which description does not fit the Interpol’s. Soriano is openly doing worldwide bible expositions as attested to by video news. Second, an Interpol Red Notice is NOT an international arrest warrant as fed by Dalizon to the public. (http://www.interpol.int/Public/Wanted/Default.asp). And yet Wikipedia honored him as a source.
Rizalino Arrabis. There is also Rizalino L. Arrabis, an INC member, a retired US Navy man based in Guam. Arrabis rallied news organizations online and the national and international police forces to unite and impound Soriano. Commenting November 14, 2007 to an article in OhmyNews International, Arrabis called Soriano the phenomenal criminal fugitive preacher and wrote “WORKINGMEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!!! POLICE OFFICIALS OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!!! LEASH AND IMPOUND THIS RABID DOG, ELISEO SORIANO, BEFORE HE SPREADS HIS CORRUPTION.”
Arrabis had been banned from NowPublic.com for his hundred and one personal attacks against Bro. Eli and at the same time given a warning by Editor Rob Walker. Arrabis walked on all newsites where Bro. Soriano is a topic. He believes that what he is doing is “Christian.” He said in Newsvine.com (Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:25 PM EST)-
My idea here is to defend the Iglesia Ni Cristo, demolish, and neutralize the detractors for all these comes up as the battle for the hearts and minds. I know pretty well that I have done a good job worthy of a Christian soldier….”
Liecaster Obligacion. Then there is Conrad J. Obligacion as identified in topix.net who stole the name of Bro. Eli as truthcaster. Called Liecaster by some, Obligacion had been posting online as “truthcaster” in NowPublic.com to humiliate the owner of that name but gets a warning from Amyjudd for slanderous remarks if he could not substantiate his claims. Eventually, his story was closed, following the fate of Arrabis.
Obligacion shows the many marks of being a rabid INC member, beginning with his two-pronged approach: appropriating the monicker of Bro. Eli and at the same time publicly declaring that he is devoting his life to destroying his victim. In the many ‘opinion’ articles he wrote, he simply substituted Soriano as the one the world is waiting for to come out and defend his false teachings.
It is public knowledge that Eraño Manalo, the Executive Minister of the INC, has never dared to respond to the challenge of Preacher Soriano to come out for a debate. (On March 27, 2005, Soriano placed a one-page ad challenging Manalo to come out so that they could once and for all settle their differences. His ministers in Net25 answered him as follows in Tagalog: “Soriano, debate first with the pope in Latin, after which the Executive Minister can face you.”)
“Truthcaster” then appointed himself as one who would re-write the biography of Bro. Soriano to its “true” form. This was where his identity as Conrad J. Obligacion was traced from topix.net where he originally wrote the re-written bio. As no one bothered to react, he repeated this in Nowpublic.com with the name “truthcaster,” His piece, “A false prophet is born” runs as follows -
Eli was sickly, there was something wrong with his heart and this was complicated by bouts of asthma. But Eli has a more troubling disease that would hound him later in his life. The disease was his overwhelming need to borrow money. The late 60’s was the year where he found himself owing about P10, 000.00 from different people. He needed his brother’s help to bail him out of his trouble. To support his growing need for money, while still a minister of his church he turned to cooking food to sell. His first turo-turo was in Sampaloc, Manila. He would go to the market and gather rotting vegetables which market vendors threw away as garbage, and used this to make lumpia which he would then sell for human consumption. He boasted that this was a great idea because he had a his profit margins were high. Aside from his lumpia, he also started selling other things, including women’s bras and panties. On top of this, he also tended to raising chickens and pigs in their own back yard. http://resbak.com/ blog/?p=77 (Dec 27, 2008 | post #1) Topix.net.
While “Truthcaster” had long been associated with Bro. Eli for his many years of broadcasting the truth, Obligacion appropriated it. There would have been no question if he simply sported ‘truthcaster” as username, but then he was employing it to attack the very one using that monicker. This is a case then of ‘truthcaster” attacking TruthCaster. Shamelessly, Obligacion went through the bio of Bro. Eli and changed everything positive to negative. At the end he had to gall to say that it was Soriano who stole his name. In Zimbio.com (03/04/09), he wrote in his article, “Ask Bro. Eli! The ‘most sensible preacher’ does not make sense” –
He sports many monikers such as “the most sensible preacher of our times”, “phenomenal preacher”, “Walking bible”, “Modern [Day] Jeremiah”, “the appointed one”, “he who holds the key”, and others. He even stole my handle, truthcaster…. But is he really all that?
Ka Webspy. More vicious than Arrabis and Obligacion is Ka Webspy, also of the Iglesia ni Cristo who had been for years hitting hard on Bro. Soriano. He had created about 25-35 websites purposely to destroy the man. What was quite vicious of him is his use of the name of Soriano and the Church’s name and identity in naming the websites. He uses Eli Soriano to attack Eli Soriano, the Church of God International to attack the Church and naming the church ministers as attacking the preacher, or the preachers as attacking each other.
In http://churchofgodint.blogspot.com/ he wrote –
Ang Dating Daan program aims to propagate the true and everlasting Gospel of Christ based on the Bible (if not scrutinized), convert sinners (convert or hold them to stay sinners?) to believe (to believe God or gods?) and glorify God (Is stealing the property of others glorify God?). Only the Church can teach the wisdom of God in the salvation of mankind (Only the true Church but not the church founded by Eli Soriano.)
All placed under Ka Webspy Network, these are some of his sites: The Ang Dating Daan of Brother Eli Soriano, 101 Kontradiksiyon, Absurd Teaching, Ang Dating Daan, Ang Dating Daan Komiks I, Ang Dating Daan Komiks II,Absurd Teaching, Eli Soriano, Ang Dating Daan Webring ni Eli Soriano.
Ka Webspy Network also supported the following sites against the Members Church of God International (MCGI), more popularly known as Ang Dating Daan: Ang Akweng Daan, Ang Dating Daan Video Clips ni Eli Soriano, Ang Dating Daan Video Clips II ni Eli Soriano, Ang Dating Daan Audio Clips ni Eli Soriano, Ang Dating Daan Audio Clips ni Eli Soriano II, Ang Dating Daan Audio Clips ni Eli Soriano III, Mga Tinig sa Ilang – Pagbubunyag sa Ang Dating Daan, Eli Soriano at Ang Dating Daan – Kontradiksyon, Ang Dating Daan at ang kanyang mga Kasinungalingan, Ang Dating Daan Komiks 1 (ni Eli Soriano), Ang Dating Daan Komiks 2 (ni Eli Soriano), (Ang Dating Daan ni Eli Soriano) 101 Kontradiksiyon, All About Eli Soriano & Ang Dating Daan, Church of God International, Ang Katotohanan Tungkol kay Ginoong Eli Soriano at sa Kaniyang”Ang Dating Daan,” Papalit-palit, Kontra-kontra Doktrina ni Ingkong (Eli Soriano ng Ang Dating Daan), Tuligsa ni Eli Soriano, Mga ang dating…Ang Dating Daan ni Eli Soriano, Linguistic Errors ni Eli Soriano ng Ang Dating Daan, Q & A ng Ang Dating Daan ni Eli Soriano.
All of these are twists posted by Ka Webspy and excommunicated members from the ADD or MCGI. They carried news, audio clips, video clips and comics calculated to mislead the public about Bro. Soriano. For example, Ang Dating Daan Video Clips ni Eli Soriano contained 100 video clips against the preacher, mostly twisting his preaching and calling it doctrines of Eli Soriano. Video Clips II ni Eli Soriano is a continuation that totaled 186 VIDEO clips with “testimonies” of two excommunicated from ADD.
Then there are the audio clips. Audio Clips ni Eli Soriano includes the same twisting of preaching and carries the testimonies of two excommunicated members from ADD with 95 clips. Audio Clips ni Eli Soriano II is a continuation that included testimony of one excommunicated ADD member. In all there were 169 AUDIO clips against Bro. Eli.
Mga Tinig sa Ilang – Pagbubunyag sa Ang Dating Daan (Voices from the Wilderness) contains more accusations that Bro. Eli.
If there is one common trait of Ka Webspy and the other enemies of Bro. Soriano, it is using Soriano’s name against himself. Consider this site: “Eli Soriano Vs Eliseo F. Soriano. All About Eli Soriano of Ang Dating Daan & Members Church of God International.” Worse, the domain name is also named after the preacher. Even the hymns of the Church of God were not spared from their vandalism. The photographs of both Bros. Soriano and Razon were also appropriated and morphed to make them appear sissy.
Ka Webspy had always been discreet with his identity, never mentioning his name while he hit hard on Bro. Soriano. In 2006, he quit blogging as Ka Webspy. By March, he was using Selaplana.com with his real name traced as Sustines E. Laplana. His reason as he was interviewed as a blogger was that he didn’t like the performance of those earlier blogs and what he written in them. Indeed on June 15, 2005, the SEO Files said that Ka Webspy Network was declining. He said he was called idiot blogger before, and he didn’t want that anymore. To date, however, the old sites he had made continue to deliver negative blows on Bro. Soriano.
As he changed topics to increase his earnings, he included results of examinations, songs, and even sex and scandals, and website money making.
Sowing in thousands
Duplication and multiplication seems to be the mode of destruction for Bro. Soriano. Nevertheless, enemies were making the preacher all the more the agenda in whatever form.
Allison Lopez. For example, Allison Lopez of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (08/29/2008) wrote about Ely (Sic) Soriano as having been charged with falsification of documents. “Ely” is the insistent spelling given by INCs to make it appear feminine and Lopez had picked it up. She also didn’t bother to do some background check on the supposed rape victim, Veridiano, even as she highlighted the rape case in the falsification charge. She also made no note of the fact that the preacher was out of the country some 3 years after she wrote her falsification report. To the camp of Soriano, it is Veridiano who had been raping his 14 officemates and there was no mention of this. The case was also dismissed for lack of evidence but refiled by the Secretary of Justice, Raul Gonzalez, to a higher court and this fact was suppressed.
Nevertheless, this report was re-posted in Scribd.com (10/22/2008) as a document. It was also posted by The Rick A. Ross Institute both as an HTML document and as a reference with their organization emblazoned as the collector of data
(www.rickross.com/groups/church_of_god.html).
YouTube. Over at YouTube, the whole story of Allison Lopez was posted by EliXWanted. It is not without comments, however, about the obvious bias of the reporter against Soriano, the writer’s ignorance of any connection between Veridiano, the complainant and Soriano, the respondent except that Veridiano was some sort of secretary.
Asterpix. The same news was posted in Asterpix Interactive Video by Asterbot88 on January 31, 2009 in an identical form as that of YouTube but the poster here displays an even more cunning. There is no place to comment on the page. The author gets all the privilege to post with no feedback allowed. Noticeable though is that it contains no (zero) views on all the 5-7 videos it posted against Soriano.
Foreigner Blogs. Eventually, a paragraph sliced from that Allison Lopez news report was transposed into a video of 2.3 minutes and embedded in many blogs of foreigners. This is the paragraph that bloomed into a picture for entertainment effects:
“Gumaru even received the release order of Soriano to make it appear that Soriano was indeed in his custody … Clearly, Soriano was not arrested nor placed in the custody of Gumaru and thus not entitled to post bail,” said Alva in his report, stressing that an accused cannot post bail without surrendering or being arrested by law enforcers.
In other words, both Police Officer Gumaru and Alva were being used here to influence the public with just a slice of the report and taken out of context.
Up until today since 2008, this sliced paragraph-cum-video item shows now and then in many blogs outside the country, believed by some quarters as a bid to undermine the preacher’s credibility as he does his bible expositions abroad. (In every exposition, it is inevitable that the preacher touch on false beliefs, therefore false preachers which the INC disdain.)
Jean-Francois Demers, for example, discussed market and economy in his blog, “Flying Squadron” but a post in blogspot, January 29, 2009 embedded this videod paragraph.
Wendy Dawson whose passion is Musical Theater also embedded this paragraph-video in her post on “Africa Again,” March 8, 2009, blogspot. There are yet many other others as supplied by Google alert from time to time. Asked why they post this item and if they knew anything about Bro. Soriano, there is no response.
“Foolish” and “stupid” as sorianospeak
If there is something false preachers dislike about Bro. Soriano, it is his calling them foolish (gago) and stupid (tanga). One is not cursing or cussing if that is the truth, the preacher would reason. Soriano is accused of being overly contentious and not “respecting” other religions, but the perspective of the preacher is not the same: Soriano has a task to perform.
Known to be the only preacher who is fearless enough to tell the truth, just before his preaching opens in the Church of God, Jeremiah 26:2 flashes on the screen in several language translations –
Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word.
Both ‘foolish’ and ‘stupid’ then come from the package of Soriano’s Jeremiah 26:2 role. To understand his discourses better, these terms should not be taken by themselves alone but from the context of what the preacher is trying to point out. The preacher is really that frank and doesn’t mince words. The following excerpts that come from his own website are examples of sorianospeak–
While many enemies of Christ and the Bible delight in the stupid and defamatory story of Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, a perusal of written and archeological information can easily belie such make-believe bunch of stupidity. (Beyond an Iota of a Doubt, March 5, 2009).
Here’s another one -
Why are there so many starving people on earth? The answer is: Because of those people who do not believe in God — like YOU! Greed in money, wealth, power, and everything earthly is the cause of all evil in this world. It is not God’s fault. (Feeding the Spiritually Starving People with God’s Word from the Bible, May 20, 2007)
In retaliation, his enemies could only dig on his weaknesses and infirmities to which he answers: “The God of all good characters and morals understands my infirmities and weaknesses. They testify that He is greater than I am.”
Tell the world
Russian wiki. What is surprising is the extent to tell the world about Soriano. His bio in Wikipedia that is mostly negative was translated into Russian by Dic.academic.ru. [A translator was used to know what language the page was in].
Astronomy site. It is also intriguing how his bio from Wikipedia would be posted by sites called Absolute Astonomy.com, Exploring the Universe of Knowledge
Bereans. The Bereans never lack interest in Bro. Soriano. Every case filed by his enemies are easily picked up and posted for comment. According to Bro. Eli, Bereans keep on researching but never come into the truth. It is because God sees the heart; anyone truly looking for God will find Him.
Polls. Polls are also made of Bro. Soriano with only one answer. The question in ISTORYA.net posted by botslot on October 2007 was, “Is Ely Soriano of ADD a false Prophet?” (Take note of the spelling and remember the group that spells it that way and why). The answers were: 1) Biggest yes with clapping of hands; 2) Big yes; 3) Resounding yes! 4) Just yes!!!!!. The results: 93.33% said yes, he is; but there were only 14 voters. The total votes cast were just 24. Then the pool was closed – a poll providing a space for only one answer.
There are the neutral sides though and the supposedly neutral sides like The Rick A. Ross Institute but not very many do that. After posting items from one side, it also posts from the other side and this time he placed the link leading to the website of Bro. Eli (http://www.elisoriano.com/).
The response
In answer to those who claim that Soriano is hitting everybody outside of his belief, this is what he says in his official blogsite (http://www.elisoriano.com/).
I want to make it clear to everybody that it is not my goal and never will it be to disgrace or humiliate or anybody personally. I am not against any human person, but on the spirit of wickedness that is in him. (Truth in focus, August 26, 2007)
Claiming he has done a lot of research, he said there is much misleading information that many are being deceived.
I have invited to take a ‘U-turn’ and dig deeper to find the roots of all the fraud and deceit that now dominates almost all sector of society — even the religious helm of it.
In my search, I have found that there are so many irrational views, erroneous teachings, evil ideologies, and misleading information, wherein deceit and fraud are always in essence, but hidden. (Truth in focus, August 26, 2007)
As he exposes false preachers and their false teachings, people react to them prominent of which are issues of idol worship in many forms, and tithing which is part of the Mosaic Law. In the end, he reaps court cases, if not curses; immigration woes and similar problems. Wasn’t he in the wanted list of the Interpol? While this issue was at first humiliating – a time-killer for those with important work to do like propagation of the gospel – he has become an agenda, and this time it is international.
To drain the church’s resources
Bro. Eli’s receiving court cases and accusations in a layer are not without intent. The pattern understood even from the beginning which the preacher explained to the congregation was to drain all his resources until he is financially bankrupt. Then he could not move to do his preaching which necessarily touches on false practices and beliefs.
To date, from church records, there are about 20 criminal cases, majority of which are libel suits and fabricated charges of rape, frustrated murder, obstruction of justice, and libel. They include the following:
- Criminal Case No. 06-3898 Crime Charged: Rape. The complainant is one Daniel Veridiano, a former ADD member expelled for embezzlement of multi-million church money and for sodomy of young boys.
- Criminal Case No. 06-3899 Crime Charged: Rape. The complainant is one Daniel Veridiano, a former ADD member expelled for embezzlement of multi-million church money and for sodomy of young boys.
- Criminal Case No 02-4236-mk Crime Charged: Frustrated Murder. The complainant is one Bernardo Santiago, a former ADD member expelled for coveting another brother’s wife.
- Criminal Case No. Q-06-140772 Crime Charged: Libel. The complainant is one Lina Gonzales, former ADD member expelled for fornication and swindling.
- Criminal Case No. Q-06-140771 Crime Charged: Libel. The complainant is one Lina Gonzales, a former ADD member expelled for fornication and swindling.
- I.S. No. 05-C-4974 Crime Charged: Libel. Complainant is one Marianito Cayao Jr., former ADD member expelled for swindling.
- Criminal Case No. 5457-02 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-04-124250 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-03-123317 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-03-123316 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-05-136679 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-05-136678 Crime Charged: Libel
- I.S. No. 06-410 Crime Charged: Libel
- I.S./K.O. No. 2006-012 Crime Charged: Libel
- IS. No. 2006-75 Crime Charged: Libel
- Criminal Case No. Q-06-140651 Crime Charged: Libel
- I.S. No. 07048 Crime Charged: Libel
- I.S. No. 05-2122 Crime Charged: Libel
- I.S. No. 2005-1362 Crime Charged: Obstruction of Justice
- I.S. No. 02-L-3288-89 Crime Charged: Obstruction of Justice
These are some of the cases filed against Bro. Soriano by the Iglesia ni Cristo, a rival religious group known to exert undue influence over the Philippine Government.
This notion of the church being drained of resources was all the more strengthned when Bro. Daniel Razon, the vice presiding minister of the Church was pushed off his post in GMA7, a big media network. Some believe that management was pressured by some “religious” people so that Razon had to choose between his religion and his job. There were words he was prevented from uttering. As some quarters believe, his only fault was in being a member of the Ang Dating Daan and was forced to choose between his job and serving God.
In June 2005 Dindo M. Balares of Manila Bulletin wrote about this “pressured” resignation. It reportedly came in the wake of a “boycott” of “Unang Hirit” and other GMA-7 shows by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members who were raising a protest against Razon.
As reported by Balares, GMA had decided to release Razon “to maintain its neutrality in the midst of the on-going bitter conflict between the Iglesia ni Cristo and Ang Dating Daan.”
More tentacles in government
Daniel Razon was also denied a post in the government after the elections commission laid off the party-list which he represented during the last national elections. The reason? Because the Commission believed that the partly-list he represented was a front of a religious organization.
On November 19, 2007, the Commission on Elections 2nd Division (under Article 6 of Republic Act 7941), disqualified the Bagong Alyansang Tagapagtaguyod ng Adhikaing Sambayanan (BATAS) party-list group. (Translated in English, this means New Alliance of Advocates for National Goals). The COMELEC ruled that Batas is an extension of the Ang Dating Daan of Bro. Eliseo Soriano where Daniel Razon, the party-list group’s first nominee is the second highest official of the religious organization. The petition for disqualification and cancellation of registration was filed by one Nathan Macute, said to be a resident of Sitio Roque, Alabang, Muntinlupa City.
On November 24, 2007, Congressman-elect Daniel S. Razon had to call on Philippine National Police Chief Avelino Razon before some 50,000 followers Saturday to protect his accuser. The former had received word that Macute would be killed and that it would be blamed on him. The conversation was carried over phone patch that morning. Razon made the request after finding out that this Nathan Macute is a seemingly harmless and quiet fellow and might be just a scapegoat.
There is a seeming lack of understanding though in how the public looks at the Church of God, known to the public as Ang Dating Daan. Unlike other church groups, these people are not forced to vote for certain candidates. They are not given orders even to congregate in one place. Judging from their great numbers in all church activities, one may safely conclude that it is their common faith that moves them. They normally support each other in times of need so that it is not surprising if they voted for candidates from the church, much more a church leader like their Bro. Daniel Razon.
Just like his superior, Bro. Eli, Razon’s bio in Wikipedia is much peppered with negative accounts, including a report wherein he was declared “Persona Non Grata” of Apalit, Pampanga. Accordingly, on Razon’s daily morning TV show, “Good Morning Kuya” aired over UNTV 37, he criticized the imposition of the Apalit Municipal Council Resolution No. 15 “enforcing pertinent national and local statutes” on the grounds of the Church. This prompted the Apalit Municipal Government to declare Razon, a bonafide resident of Apalit, Pampanga a “persona non grata” through Resolution 28 series of 2008.
From the reception of people, however, this resolution is rendered toothless. An average weekly attendance of some 60,000 members of the Church of God International meet every Saturday for thanksgiving in Apalit to listen to the preaching of their Bro. Eli Soriano as well as to Bro. Daniel Razon. (The former preaches in 6 continents simulcast through satellite).
A similar incident happened in Zamboanga City in October 2008. Daily Zamboanga Times reported that Commission on Human Rights Regional Director Jose Manuel S. Mamauag had criticized the City Council on its common practice of declaring persons, including Filipino citizens, persona non grata. Atty. Mamauag appealed to the City Council to “vigilantly observe the rule of law and to be mindful of the good name of persons.”
As reported in the news, Mamaug said, “To be persona non grata is to be a social pariah. Branding a person as unacceptable and publicly tagging him as unwelcome in a city wherein he is free to enter and leave by virtue of his being a Filipino is tantamount to imposing a punishment that is not provided by law.”
The Human Rights Commissioner Mamauag explained that the declaration of persona non grata is normally being practiced in diplomatic relations.
How do you “outcast” a bonafide resident in the first place? Jun A. Malig, in his commentary in Sun Star Pampanga some years back (10/25/2005) said literally, persona non grata refers to “an unwelcome person” but that would not include bona fide residents of the territory, it appears. The person may be prevented, depending on existing laws or ordinances, from setting foot in the territorial jurisdiction of those who “outcast” him, he said.
The myth of ADD as INC breakaway group
One item that is repeated over and over in reports and passed on to others is the myth that the Ang Dating Daan is a breakaway away group of the Iglesia ni Cristo. The ones that love to do such repetition, however, are those affiliated with the INC. From obtaining patterns of newsreports, this is the outstanding “background information” they are careful to give, calculated with self-serving motives. Other background information that are critical to the understanding of news are suppressed.
The members of the ADD find this quite ironic in that while the INC members create so much trouble for the former, the latter insist on planting this notion in the mind of the public – whatever gains they can get from that. As far as the ADD constituents are concerned, there is not an iota of similarity in the beliefs of the two that one can be called a breakaway group of the other.
For example, Aries Rufo wrote in his news report that “Soriano founded the religious sect ADD, a breakaway group of the Iglesia Ni Cristo sect.” (Newsbreak Online, SC sustains suspension of Ang Dating Daan, April 30, 2009). It is not only Rufo who does that, however. The information passed also the Embassy of the United States is the same.
The International Religious Freedom Report 2003 released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor says on Religious Demography : “There are three churches established by local religious leaders: The Independent Church of the Philippines or “Aglipayan,” the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), and the Ang Dating Daan (an offshoot of Iglesia ni Cristo).
The embassy had been informed as early as 2005 that this is not so but it is quite surprising that this myth appears again and again in news reports. Coming in other forms, the propagation of this kind may be found in inserting appendages to describe the INC. It is a poor attempt to package this church favorably to the public eye. Some of these pertain to seniority and size, while they flaunt their power – as if favor with God or truth is found in these aspects.
Writing about Bernardo Santiago, one excommunicated from the Church of God for adultery Demiel R. Robles, a Newsbreak Contributing writer wrote.
….But in 1998, Santiago was not only stripped of that privilege; he was expelled by the organization that he thought would bring him salvation. His offense, according to the ADD: adultery. Humiliated, Santiago fought back. The ADD says he subsequently cast his fate with the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), the powerful religious congregation founded by the late Felix Manalo and where most senior ADD preachers come from.
Robles compared the squabble between the ADD and the INC to that of a David-and-Goliath script in explaining why the INC is “so quiet to allegations.” To the camp of Soriano, however, the INCs have nothing to say in a call to debate to defend their false teachings, therefore are so quiet. As events show, however, they answer with court cases.
Demiel Robles ends his piece with a taunt:
Brother Eli realizes that as a religious leader, his mission is necessarily spiritual. But he should know that God has no business in litigation and the media…. Will he invoke the Bible to save himself from worldly court cases? His disciples and critics await the coming days with curiosity and anxiety.
Church history
Time and again, Bro. Soriano would say that the Church of God or ADD was never a part of the Iglesia ni Cristo.
The history of the MCGI or Ang Dating Dating records Nicholas Perez as the first minister. This is where the parents of Bro. Eli were affiliated. Documents show that it was in 1931 when Nicholas Perez with Avelino Santiago started their own group called Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan (Church of God in Christ Jesus, Pillar and Support of The Truth) after some doctrinal differences with the Iglesia ni Cristo.
On December 10, 1936, Nicholas Perez officially registered the Iglesia ng Diyos kay Cristo Hesus Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan with the Bureau of Commerce and Industry. After a lapse of 41 years, on March 30, 1977, two years after the death of Perez, Eliseo Soriano and followers registered his own group and called it the Iglesia ng Dios kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan (Church of God in Christ Jesus, The Pillar and Ground of the Truth). Soriano has then become the Presiding Minister.
As events would have it, the church doctrines would get corrected as revealed to the faithful Soriano so much so that there had been gargantuan overhaul from the teachings of Perez. Soriano, publicly known as bible scholar, did much corrections over time. Moreover, he was revealing mystery after mystery in every church gathering.
Fast forward to January 14, 2004, after 27 years Soriano registered and used the name, Members Church of God International because locals were founded in the United States. By the end of 2005, Bro. Soriano would be thrust to the West on account of persecutions. As membership grew to include the yellow, white and black race, the contents of his preachings reached high levels to spiritual dimensions. Meanwhile, his enemies continued to give him a difficult time with court cases.
Claiming then that the ADD or MCGI is a breakaway group from the Iglesia ni Cristo is like claiming that one is a split from Adam.
Silence speaks
If some people hate Bro. Eli and loathe what he says, it is not a secret that there are those who want him dead and would hound him to the ends of this earth to stop him from talking. While he talks and others talk, the loudest and the most ubiquitous messages may take the upper-hand. Take the case of the Interpol notice of Wanted Persons that his enemies posted and re-posted all over the Internet.
While all of these obtain, on November 25, 2007, GMANews.TV would banner, “UNTV, Razon, Soriano sites top 10th Philippine Web Awards.” The following are excerpts –
Three websites associated with religious leader Eliseo Soriano dominated the 10th Philippine Web Awards (PWA) Friday night – www.angdatingdaan.com, the official site of Soriano’s The Church of God International; www.danielrazon.com, the official site of broadcaster Daniel Razon, Soriano’s nephew; and www.untvweb.com, the official site of UNTV 37, where Soriano’s Ang Dating Daan is among the top programs.
The Church of God official site won, through SMS voting, as the Most Popular Website, on top of being named the People’s Choice in the Organizations category.
Razon’s site won in the Celebrities and Personalities category, getting the People’s Choice award as well. The site edged out the Alaska Aces website and the Blaze of Glory site of GMANews.TV.
In the News and Media category, the UNTV site also edged out GMANews.TV, last year’s winner. It also grabbed the People’s Choice award for the category.
As posted by GMANews.TV, the People’s Choice award in each category is determined by Short Message Service (SMS) voting. The main award for each category is picked by judges, both foreign and local, composed of veteran web artists, content writers, and designers, have evaluated all the 69 Web site finalists.
This is not a just happenstance as in the 11th Philippine Web Awards held last February 2009, the same winners scored. This time, instead of the Church of God official site as over-all winner, the newly-constructed truth blog of Bro. Eliseo Soriano, (www.esoriano.wordpress.com) won as the most popular website, besting all others in all categories.
Bro. Eli’s blogsite also stood as the People’s choice in the blog category. At the same time that his blogsite won, all his organizational affiliates won: the Ang Dating Daan – Bible Exposition Online (organization category), Kaanib.net – Christian Web Newsmagazine (magazines and ezines category), UNTV – Your Public Service Channel (News and Media category).
What these wards may imply is that Bro. Eliseo Soriano after all is not entirely what his enemies portray him. Some like to listen to what he is saying – to truth. Some like to know about God and how to be saved. Bro. Soriano does not take people by surprise when he criticizes them. Criticism is part of the package of his jeremiad role.
Apalit
Flash back to Apalit, Pampanga in April 2009 where the Central Office is, it is again International Thanksgiving time and the screen as usual is there. It is primarily used to flash the biblical verses being studied.
On the screen, Bro. Eli is shown successfully holding worldwide bible expositions in the West. The converts are expressing gratitude for having heard truth that were never preached to them before by other pastors. And yet it took a simple man from a poor country to bring them good news. The scene is repeated in other continents but in different versions of propagation.
Meanwhile, his enemies keep bugging the public to produce Eliseo Soriano, his location, his address – either that of the telephone, fax, or email. They warn the writers of the Church congregation to “cooperate” with authorities and provide his whereabouts. But apparently with scales in their eyes, they could not trace the man.
While they do this, the preacher is hitting it big in the news. Early this year, his Truth blog gets the Most Popular Website award, and his organization and all affiliates all get web awards as in the last 5 to 6 years.
Since 2005 when he left the country to continue preaching in other lands, it slowly dawned on him that his commission was not just focused on Filipinos. The battle cry, “Wherever the Filipinos are” no longer applied. As he goes out farther and farther from his country, he is reaping converts from the six continents of Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe and Australia.
The screen flushes and one sees those of the white race interested in what this Filipino preacher is saying; they hug the man as a long lost brother. Another screen flashes and you see those from the black race looking intently at him; they listen to his messages as though very thirsty of truth. Finally, they sing praises to God – in Tagalog, the preacher’s language. (As explained by Bro. Daniel Razon, one of those instrumental in these overseas missions, the Papuans were easily taught in Tagalog rather than in English. Accordingly, the same model would be applied to other races that are receptive more to Tagalog than English).
Reasons to thank for
There is nothing pleasant in people scrutinizing your private person and looking for faults while you are busy with work. There is nothing enjoyable in people misinterpreting your role in the work of salvation and with it the accusations that point to personal motives. These are the times that greatly trouble a person.
While people can drive you away to leave your place of abode, at the same time, they want you back – but in box. And while they cannot find you, they incessantly try to track you down in the most humiliating way. It is the very threats on Bro. Eli’s life, however, that necessarily made him move on to the West. Ironically, this has translated into so many coming to know the truth. The persecution of Bro. Eli clearly is something to thank God for.
It’s not like giving the other cheek when one is slapped; it’s just being thankful that instead of being the oppressor, one is the oppressed; instead of being the persecutor, one is persecuted.
The church congregation knows that the role of a prophet of God had already been planned out even before he was born. That includes the sufferings he has to undergo. If his enemies dislike what he is saying, so be it; nevertheless he backs up everything he says with biblical proofs, and that should be enough. However, as stated in the bible, there are those who cannot sleep unless they do evil.
His being in the wanted list of Interpol is still something to value. While the preacher obviously cannot get justice in his own country, there is yet a chance that that world body may be fair for all. Moreover, the attention of both friend and foe has been caught. The curiosity of the world on this man is all the more sharpened. They get to compare what two sides are saying and weigh them. Doing that, they may come to know about God in the process. Moreover, no matter how powerful an enemy is, nothing happens without God’s permission.
For the good of them that love God
Thorns that come people’s way may still be roses. These may only be opportunities for one to be more resourceful for a new recourse of action, be more patient with the situation, grow in faith, and understand what there is to understand. Bro. Soriano’s persecution led him into exile but the fruit turned out into something good for the Church.
The butterfly, for example, has to undergo some struggles before it comes out beautiful. If one tried to help it come out of its cocoon by tearing the silken sack that enveloped it, one will have forced his way upon its natural process of growth. Nature has ordained that it kick and kick itself out, in a very hard way. As it does, some oil comes out of its body that is needed for its development.
The same is true of Christians as they do their task. Problems may come along the way that appears as mere problems. As promised in the bible, however, everything that happens is all for the good of them that are called according to his purpose. In Romans 8:28 -
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (King James Bible)
No bitterness
Right from the very start, Bro. Soriano has taught his people not to attempt to make revenge to the enemies of the Church. When brothers were bludgeoned badly in a local restaurant in the town of Apalit by members of the Iglesia ni Cristo in 2005, he made this call. As April ended in 2008, when UNTV host Marcos Mataro was killed in broad daylight in which death implicated a deacon of the Iglesia ni Cristo, he again repeated the call. He warned his members not to be rendering thanksgiving to God with bitterness in the heart.
Whereof you can’t revenge, therefore what will you do? Just what is the logic of all these?
Leave it to God; let it be, Bro. Soriano says. In Romans 12:19 –
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (KJV)
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