(Eagle News) – The Quezon City court is set to inspect the disputed Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) property at #36 Tandang Sora on December 15, 2015 at 9:30 AM.
In a court order issued on December 9, Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) Judge Edgar Dalmacio Santos granted the INC lawyers’ petition for an ocular inspection of the said property where ex-INC minister Felix Nathaniel “Angel” Manalo and sister Lottie Hemedez have been allowed to stay even after their expulsion from the church last July.
The court ordered the said inspection “to determine the number of and identities of all occupants, whether regular or not, as well as persons who visit and allowed access to the subject property.”
Judge Edgar Santos also directed Sheriff Neri Loy to “note the number and location of ingress and egress points” in the compound as well as the procedures implemented for it.
Aside from the Sheriff, representatives of the INC and of Angel Manalo’s camps are instructed to be present during the inspection, along with police officers and barangay authorities.
The Sheriff was also directed by the court to make a written report within seven days from the conclusion of the ocular inspection. He was also directed to provide copies of the said report to both parties.
The court’s order for inspection is part of the ongoing case which the INC filed against Angel Manalo and company seeking legal injunction of its property. This was prompted by CCTV-recorded incidents in which unidentified men wearing masks were coming in and out of the property without due permission from INC officials.
Judge Santos of RTC Branch 222, in the same Omnibus Order, also granted Iglesia Ni Cristo’s prayer for the respondents Angel Manalo and his companions to be declared in default.
The court noted that it “took respondents forty-six (46) days before they filed their answer”. Under the law, respondents must have submitted their answer within fifteen (15) days from receipt of summons.
Thus, respondents Angel Manalo have now lost their right to participate in the trial of the Petition for Injunction filed by the INC, based on the court order which found as “untenable” the excuses made by the respondents.
The court, however, denied the petitioner INC’s prayer that evidence of respondents so far adduced be “expunged” or deleted from the records. The respondents’ lawyers have already commenced presentation of evidence in opposition to the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO). The court ruled that respondents may continue presenting further evidence as regards to the TRO issuance. (Eagle News Service)