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Iglesia lawyers want Menorca amparo case declared moot

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Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Lawyers of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) have urged the Court of Appeals (CA) to declare moot and academic the writ of amparo case filed by the family of expelled INC member Lowell Menorca against leaders of the sect.Menorca was still unable to attend Monday&#x27;s hearing with the appellate court&#x27;s 7th Division after leaving the country with his wife, Jinky, and daughter, Yurie Keiko last March 6. This is the third time for him to miss the hearing.INC lawyer Rogelio Vinluan said the amparo petition has been rendered moot by the Menorcas&#x27; voluntary departure.Menorca&#x27;s lawyer, Trixie Angeles, however, said a motion to dismiss is prohibited in an amparo case.Angeles said the last communication she had with Menorca was two days after the Menorcas<a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/03/07/16/bi-menorca-flew-to-vietnam"> flew for Vietnam</a>, through electronic mail. Angeles maintained that she is not aware of the whereabouts of the family.The petition was filed by Menorca&#x27;s brother, Anthony, and sister-in-law Jungko Otsuka, on October 15, 2015. They claimed the Menorcas and their househelp, Abegail Yanson, were abducted and held against their will upon the orders of the INC.INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo and several members of the INC Sanggunian are named as respondents in the case.Angeles earlier said the Menorca family had received death threats. The Bureau of Immigration later confirmed the family had left for Vietnam.<div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/03/07/16/menorca-missing-gets-death-threats-lawyer">Menorca &#x27;missing&#x27;, gets death threats: lawyer</a></div><div>THE MENORCA CASE</div>Menorca was one of several INC members and ministers who allegedly went missing amid a leadership crisis between Iglesia Ni Cristo Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo and members of his family including mother, Cristina &quot;Tenny&quot; Manalo, brother Angel Manalo and sister, Lottie Hemedez, last year.In a YouTube video, Tenny Manalo urged the Iglesia faithful to help ministers who were allegedly kidnapped. She also asked for a dialogue with her son, Eduardo, the current INC executive minister.READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/07/23/15/iglesia-ni-cristo-expel-tenny-manalo-son-angel">Iglesia ni Cristo expels Tenny Manalo, son Angel</a>Tenny, Lottie and Angel Manalo were later expelled by the church. Several of the alleged missing INC members, including Menorca, later surfaced in a television interview with the INC-owned Net 25 and denied the abduction.Menorca, however, escaped detention and claimed he was kidnapped by police officers in his district in Sorsogon, interrogated for 17 hours and nearly killed before being brought to the INC Central compound where he was detained.READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/10/25/15/inc-leaders-tagged-in-abduction-detention-of-ex-minister">INC leaders tagged in abduction, detention of ex-minister</a>Last January, police in civilian clothes arrested Menorca on libel charges while he was on his way to the Court of Appeals to attend a hearing. One of the arresting officers <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/nation/metro-manila/01/20/16/cop-who-arrested-menorca-is-iglesia-member">confirmed </a>that he is a member of the INC.The INC through its spokesman Edwil Zabala denied that the church was involved in the arrest but confirmed that members of the SCAN International filed several libel complaints against Menorca.<div><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/01/20/16/ex-inc-minister-menorca-arrested-on-way-to-court">Ex-INC minister Menorca arrested on way to court</a></div><div><a href="http:// http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/01/27/16/menorca-asks-inc-stop-kidnappings-detention">Menorca asks INC: Stop kidnappings, detention</a></div>

MANILA - Lawyers of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) have urged the Court of Appeals (CA) to declare moot and academic the writ of amparo case filed by the family of expelled INC member Lowell Menorca against leaders of the sect.

Iglesia lawyers want Menorca amparo case declared moot

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Iglesia lawyers want Menorca amparo case declared moot

Ina Reformina,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 28, 2016 01:33 PM PHT

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