SEN. Grace Poe is in hot water after publicly supporting the protest of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members against Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in connection with the criminal charges against the religious sect’s leaders.
Lawyer Trixie Cruz-Angeles, counsel for expelled INC minister Isaiah Samson and his family, said Poe may have violated the law when she called for de Lima to prioritie other cases over the complaint for serious illegal detention, harassment, grave threats and coercion filed by her client.
Angeles said Poe’s pronouncement could constitute a criminal offense under Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In a statement, the counsel of Samson cited Section 3 (a) of the said law which considers as a crime acts of “persuading, inducing or influencing another public officer to perform an act constituting a violation of rules and regulations duly promulgated by competent authority or an offense in connection with the official duties of the latter, or allowing himself to be persuaded, induced, or influenced to commit such violation or offense.”
“It is an act of graft if someone asks the DOJ not to act on a criminal complaint,” Angeles said.
The lawyer cited the statement of Poe assailing de Lima for acting on the alleged abductions of INC ministers and specifically on Samson’s case.
“Magtataka ka rin, bakit ang tutok doon, samantalang halimbawa ang ibang mga kaso ng gobyerno wala naman silang mga witnesses pa na naka-hold [You would wonder why the focus is there while for other government cases they have not held witnesses yet],” Poe was quoted as saying, referring to the INC case.
Poe added that de Lima should explain the merits of the INC case to the public, and why the DOJ was handling it.
“Siguro mas makakabuti…ay humarap siya sa mga tao na nagra-rally ‘pag mahinahon, at i-eksplika kung ano ba ang sitwasyon, bakit nangyari na gano’n [Maybe it would be better for her to face the protesters when they are calm, and explain the situation and why it happened that way],” she said.
The senator then urged the DOJ to instead give attention to other cases, such as the Mamasapano incident.
Poe is already a facing disqualification case before the Senate Electoral Tribunal over questions on her citizenship and residency as required in the 2013 polls.
Sen. Francis G. Escudero made the same statement. He even warned that the DOJ’s handling of the case could be misinterpreted as a violation of the right to religious freedom.
“It may be prudent to first let the leadership of the INC resolve what appears to be a purely internal matter,” he said.
Poe and Escudero are reportedly eyeing higher elective positions in next year’s elections as running mates.
The INC is known for its reported bloc voting during elections, which is traditionally being eyed by presidential candidates.
Because of its leadership’s widely believed power to rally its members to vote as a bloc, and with millions of members all over the world, many politicians would seek the INC’s endorsement every election.
As public officials, Angeles said the two senators should have called for rule of law and respect for legal processes instead of supporting moves to prevent the DOJ from acting on criminal charges.