(Eagle News)– The Quezon City Police District today (Thursday, March 9) presented the high-powered firearms and ammunition they have confiscated from the houses of expelled Iglesia Ni Cristo members Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo and his sister Lolita “Lottie” Hemedez in separate searches on March 2 and March 8, based on court-issued search warrants.
The new search was conducted on Wednesday, March 8, on the building occupied by Lottie Manalo, which was not the subject of the previous search warrant.
The recovered firearms and ammunition included 56 long firearms, 18 short firearms, 27 grenades, 62 rifle grenades, and almost 18,000 rounds of ammunition.
National Capital Region Police office chief, Regional Director Oscar Albayalde also noted the numerous number of high-powered firearms confiscated from the buildings previously occupied by Angel Manalo and Lottie Hemedez.
Albayalde even noted that one of the high-powered firearms, a 50-caliber sniper rifle, was what had been typically used in the Mamasapano massacre against the members of the Philippine National Police -Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).
“This is a 50 calibre sniper rifle, typical na ginamit sa Mamasapano, ganito kalaki. You could just imagine yung tumama dun sa SAF police natin. Ganyan kalaki na bala ang tumama sa kanila. Original siya, orginal. Phoenix, Arizona,” he said during the press conference in Camp Karingal where the firearms were displayed.
“Just to give you background. This recovery of firearms — napakarami. These are all 56 long firearms, 18 short firearms, more than 17,000 ammunition all recovered on March 8 by operatives from QCPD with officials from the INC, and barangay officials doon sa Tandang Sora, New Era, Quezon City,” Albayalde said.
Albayalde explained how these additional confiscated firearms were found in the building occupied by Lottie Hemedez.
“Kasi yung na-search nung March 2 is just one building that is being occupied by Angel Manalo, and then itong firearms na ito were all recovered doon sa kabilang building which is not a subject of search warrant. Kaya, nung March 8 we were given permission, the
QCPD elements to search the other building that led to these firearms,” he said.
QCPD Director Guillero Eleazar said they searched the area after receiving information that there could still be more firearms hidden there.
The police will also conduct an inventory of the confiscated firearms and ammunition.
The Tandang Sora property had long been occupied by the expelled INC members, and they had been resisting any extensive searches before even by court-appointed authorities and representatives of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
(Also see: https://www.eaglenews.ph/featured-news/chr-denied-entrance-by-36-tandang-sora-occupants-for-the-6th-time/ and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/residents-of-36-tandang-sora-does-not-follow-security-measures/)
It turned out that these expelled members, who had even allowed the illegal entry of former soldiers identified with the Magdalo group, were hiding this large cache of firearms which was large enough to “arm a small assault team.” The INC had noted before the presence of masked men carrying high-powered firearms inside the Tandang Sora compound previously illegally occupied by the expelled Manalo siblings and their companions, and had even called the attention of a Quezon City court on the disturbing presence of armed men in the said compound. It was in September 2015 that the INC first asked the court to prevent the entry of unidentified armed men illegally entering the Tandang Sora compound before where the expelled Manalo siblings had been staying. A CCTV footage that recorded the entry was shown to the court.
(Also see: https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/photos-of-suspicious-armed-and-masked-men-at-no-36-t-sora-in and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/kampo-ni-lottie-at-angel-nagtangka-muling-magpasok-ng-mga-dating-sundalo-sa-t-sora-inc-compound/ and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/inc-calls-qc-courts-attention-to-presence-of-unidentified-armed-men-inside-incs-t-sora-property/ and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/inc-discovers-disturbing-activities-inside-t-sora-premises-occupied-by-manalo-siblings/ and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/inc-asks-qc-court-to-ban-entry-of-unauthorized-persons-into-inc-compound/)
The former soldiers– Jonathan Ledesma and Joseph Sabbaluca — were among the men allegedly allowed inside the 36 Tandang Sora property by former Marine officer Nicanor Faeldon in October 2015. They were then accompanied by his lawyer, Atty. Trixie Angeles, who had also served as the legal counsel of the expelled Manalo siblings.
(Also see: https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/defense-lawyers-bring-ex-military-men-to-incs-t-sora-property/ and https://www.eaglenews.ph/national/inc-investigating-t-sora-disturbance-man-with-gun-from-hemedez-camp-identified-as-navy-deserter/)
A Quezon City court, in June last year, had already ordered the expelled INC members led by Angel Manalo and Lottie Hemedez to vacate the Tandang Sora property, but they had refused to follow the order. (See: https://www.eaglenews.ph/featured-news/court-orders-eviction-of-occupants-of-inc-property-at-36-tandang-sora/)
This video news clip in October 2015 showed the entry of the Magdalo soldiers, and also showed the visit in the property of former Army Capt. Faeldon.
Criminal charges for illegal possession of firearms were filed against Manalo, his wife Jenny, sister Lolita “Lottie” Hemedez, and 24 others at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office after they and members of their group figured in a clash with policemen serving a search warrant last March 2. This resulted in the shooting and wounding of two Quezon City police officers.
Quezon City Assistant City Prosecutor Nilo Peñaflor, in a resolution released on Wednesday, March 8, did not recommend any bail for Manalo, expelled younger brother of INC Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo. His sister Manalo-Hemedez, meanwhile, was allowed to go home. Meanwhile, bail has been set for her son, Jem Hemedez.
Additional charges of frustrated murder were filed against a certain Jonathan Ledesma, who was with Manalo at the time of the incident.
Eleazar last week said that Manalo and his companions were charged after they failed to show any license proving ownership of the firearms.
