INC faithful break into loud wailing

A loud, pained wail marked the grief of hundreds of thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members as they watched the casket of INC leader Eraño “Ka Erdy” Manalo loaded into the funeral car Monday morning.

At around 11 a.m., mourners outside the INC Central Temple on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City broke into loud sobs, while they watched a video screen showing the interment of Manalo, the executive minister.

The wailing lasted around five minutes, causing motorists stalled in traffic to roll down their windows to check what was happening.

Rains failed to disperse the crowd that occupied the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue from UP-Ayala Technohub all the way to Tandang Sora Avenue.

A 57-year-old woman even stuck it out despite not being able to see Manalo’s remains since the start of the wake.

“I have been waiting in line since Wednesday but I wasn’t able to get in,” said Rosario Espino, an INC member based in Montalban, Rizal, since 1992.

She said some of her neighbors, however, were able to get inside the Central Temple and view the remains of Manalo.

1.5 million to 2 million

Chief Supt. Elmo San Diego, Quezon City Police District director, estimated the crowd to be between 1.5 million and 2 million Monday.

“The event was orderly, very peaceful, there were no untoward incidents,” he told reporters in a phone interview.

Supt. Constante Agpaoa, QCPD Station 6 commander, said mourners were scattered from Philcoa to Luzon, the Visayas and University Avenues.

Agpaoa said some of the mourners had been there since Sunday afternoon.

Some mourners came from Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, according to the pins they wore on their shirts as they walked through the crowd.

Of the thousands who endured a fickle weather, only a few were able to get inside the INC complex to personally witness the interment.

Color-coded ribbons

Only those with ribbons pinned to a photo of the dead INC leader were allowed to enter the complex, according to an announcement over a public sound system.

The announcement said the ribbons were color-coded—white for the immediate family, green for pastors and ministers, purple for workers of the Central Temple and light blue for church servers.

Members of the INC’s Security Community Action Network provided a human barricade at all the main gates of the church compound to prevent members who were not given ribbons from gaining entry.

Four video screens

The INC hierarchy set up four video screens outside the Central Temple so that mourners and members who could not get inside the temple may be able to watch the interment ceremony.

One video screen was installed in front of the Central Temple, one on Central Avenue, and two on Commonwealth Avenue.

During the interment ceremony, some INC members closed their umbrellas so that other people behind them could see the screen better.

Other onlookers decided to take shelter under two pedestrian overpasses on Commonwealth Avenue, where they could be protected from the rain and at the same time have a birds’ eye view of the mammoth crowd.

The closure of Commonwealth Avenue from Elliptical Road to Luzon Avenue caused heavy traffic buildup on the eastbound lane of the avenue that lasted more than an hour after the interment.

Supt. Rudie Valoria, Quezon City Traffic Enforcement Group head, said that at least 5,000 vehicles were parked on Commonwealth Avenue since Sunday.

Two helicopters alternately hovered over the INC central complex Monday morning.

ONLY the burial of martyred Sen. Ninoy Aquino and that of his wife, former President Cory, would equal the number of people that attended the burial and wake of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Erano “Ka Erdy” Manalo.

Not even the attendance at the wake and burial of Jaime Cardinal Sin could compare with that of Ka Erdy whose remains were entombed in the INC main cathedral in Quezon City.

His followers so loved and respected him that they braved the rain and the heat to send him off.

All the INC members who attended Ka Erdy’s burial and wake were genuine in their grief.

By Julie M. Aurelio, Nancy C. Carvajal, Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Simple burial for Ka Erdy

The nation joined the Iglesia Ni Cristo in honoring on Monday the late INC Executive Minister Erano “Ka Erdy” G. Manalo, whose remains were laid to rest in simple yet touching ceremonies attended by the country’s top political leaders and over 50,000 of the religious sect’s followers.

Rain and tears poured at the INC Central Compound on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, as the body of one the country’s most revered religious leaders was deposited into a concrete white tomb, bedecked with flowers, at the center of the Tabernacle at exactly 12:15 pm on Monday.

Thousands gathered at the Tabernacle to personally witness the interment and multitudes of INC members who braved the inclement weather but were only allowed to witness the ceremonies in video walls set up outside the INC headquarters cried, many unabashedly, at the mere sight of the casket being transported to the Tabernacle.

Except for the 21-gun salute conducted by an elite squad of cadets of the Philippine Military Academy and the handing over of the INC and Philippine flags to son Eduardo Manalo and Ka Erdy’s widow Cristina, respectively, there were no other formal funeral rites conducted.

There were several changes in pall bearers – the military honor guard, INC ecclesiastical district heads and funeral personnel in full regalia – throughout the nearly one-and-half hour funeral for the 84-year-old INC head.

Prayers for the dead that are usually practiced by other religions are taboo under the INC doctrine which stresses that only God and no other intercessions and other influences will decide on the fate of a spirit.

Minutes earlier, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo paid her final respects to Manalo and condoled with the Manalo family headed by widow, Cristina, and Manalo’s eldest son and successor, Eduardo “Ka Eddie Boy” Manalo.

Accompanied by her sons. Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo (Lakas, Pampanga) and Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi, Camarines Sur), Arroyo viewed the remains of the INC leader at the Sanctuario, where it was transferred hours before being laid to rest.

Vice President Noli De Castro substituted for Arroyo in handing over the Philippine flag to Manalo’s widow. The flag draped alternately with the INC red-green-white banner symbolized the country’s deference to Manalo whom both religious and political leaders credited for propagating the biblical teachings of the home-grown religion in at least 90 countries.

Aside from De Castro, also paying their last respects for Manalo were Chief Justice Reynato Puno, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former President Joseph Estrada, former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, Senators Manuel Villar, Francis Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson, Jinggoy Estrada, Mar Roxas, Francis Escudero, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Loren Legarda, and Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.

Congressmen who were sighted at the funeral were Reps. Matias Defensor, Roman Romulo, Albert Garcia, Dan Fernandez, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Annie Susano, Cynthia Villar, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Nanette Castelo-Daza, and Mitos Magsaysay.

Among Arroyo government officials spotted were Finance Secretary Gary Teves, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Undersecretary Verna Puyat-Romulo, former Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta, and LWUA Administrator Butch Pichay.

Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro and Enrile were among the first to arrive. Casimiro was spotted at the INC compound as early as 6:45 am.

Local officials in attendance were Mayors Feliciano Belmonte Jr, of Quezon City, Alfredo Lim of Manila, Benhur Abalos of Mandaluyong City, Governors Tet Garcia of Bataan, Ningning Lazaro of Laguna, and Quezon City Councilor Winston Castelo.

INC district leaders from the 90 countries where Iglesia churches were established were present in yesterday’s funeral.

The simple rites started at exactly 11 am., when the INC flag was folded to signal the transfer of the casket to from the Sanctuario at the Main Temple to the Tabernacle which was just about 300 meters away.

From the temple, the remains were transported in a funeral limousine to the Tabernacle where at least 3,000 INC leaders and their families, mourners and sympathizers waited.

The casket arrived at the Tabernacle at 11:35 am and was put inside the temporary crypt at 12:10.

Except for the touching musical background and the wailing of some INC leaders, the ceremonies went on silently and orderly.

De Castro was given the honor of viewing the body of Manalo when the casket was opened for the last time minutes before it was to be buried.

Cristina planted a kiss at her husband’s remains as family members took a last glimpse of the well-loved religious leader.

Manalo’s ’s body will be transferred at a mausoleum which is now undergoing construction at the INC compound. The remains of his father, INC founder and Executive Minister Felix Manalo, were expected to be likewise relocated at the same mausoleum from the INC local temple in San Juan.

By BEN R. ROSARIO - www.mb.com.ph

Ka Erdy and his Legacy

" Kung pwede lang na ilagay ko na kyo sa lalagyang wala ng mababawas kahit isa sa inyo, kung pwede lang yakapin ko na kayong lahat para wala ng mawalay ni isa man sa inyo, Sana lahat ng kasalukuyang bilang ng IGLESIA ngayon makarating sa BAYANG BANAL s...a maluwalhating tahanan. Kayo lagi ang aking nasa isipan, kyo ang aking dinadalangin sa AMA.. Pagpalain kyong lahat maging yung nasa malayo " - KA ERANO G. MANALO

There will be no major shifts on how the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) is charting itself, spiritually and politically, with the death of its leader Eraño “Ka Erdie” Manalo.

As a religious group, its teachings, practices and values are etched on solid ground, but the highly disciplined Christian sect, known for its bloc-voting practice in elections, might adopt a more objective political view with the change of leadership.

In a sense, the change of leadership is actually a misnomer since Manalo’s son, Eduardo “Ka Eddie Boy,” 54, is expected to carry the torch and the family legacy.

The elder Manalo himself assumed as executive minister of the INC also after the death of his father, Felix, who founded the religious organization on July 27, 1914.

Sources close to the inner circle of Ka Erdie say the late religious leader had been grooming the younger Manalo for years, just like what Felix did to his son a generation ago.

Eduardo has been the INC’s deputy executive minister, or the "pangalawang tagapamahalang pangkalahatan," and his assumption as his father’s successor will be just a formality, says an INC member.

Ka Erdie, 84, died of cardiopulmonary arrest Monday. He took over as executive minister following Felix Manalo’s death, and was credited for expanding the church internationally.

It was during Ka Erdie’s term that the INC became a major political force with its estimated 2-3 million bloc-voting members.

No major departure

Political analyst Angelito Banayo believes there will be "no major departure from the management side” with the succession of Eduardo Manalo to the INC hierarchy.

Banayo notes that Eduardo has been acting as the chief operating officer for some time now, although the late INC head still had the last say on religious matters.

While it makes sense that the Manalo family prepared for a smooth transition of power, members, however, were left in the dark on who made the final decision.

“We’d been hearing that Ka Eddie was making the decisions but the members were not too sure,” one INC member says.

Banayo, who is also a political consultant of Senator Panfilo Lacson, says the younger Manalo called the shots on political decisions “at least in the last two elections.”

If this is true, the younger Manalo is proving to be more adept and savvy than the father.

In the 2004 elections, the INC, instead of having to choose between actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Lacson, passed the ball to the two warring opposition bets. When Poe and Lacson failed to settle their differences, the INC did the next best thing: it threw its support to President Arroyo.

Since it was a close race between Arroyo and Poe, the INC vote was seen as a deciding factor in favor of Arroyo.

In contrast to other religious groups that have a more predictable matrix of desired candidates, the INC operates on a case-to-case basis. Members are surveyed on who are their preferred candidates in the national level, and the final approval comes from the top. In the local races, however, the local ministers have the latitude to decide on who to support.

More pragmatic leadership

To be sure, the INC’s clout and influence in politics is beyond doubt, rivaling that of the dominant Catholic Church. After a misstep in the 1992 presidential race, where the sect threw its support to losing candidate Eduardo 'Danding’ Cojuangco, the INC bounced back in the 1998 elections with the election of former President Estrada, which the group supported.

Political analysts say that INC’s bloc-voting members can spell the difference in tight presidential, senatorial, and local races. Candidates fiercely contest the INC endorsement, and they will have to pass through a wringer before any endorsement is given.

Former Bulacan Congressman Willie Villarama, whose family is close to the Manalos, believes that politically, those who will be disadvantaged by Ka Erdie’s death are the politicians “who have long historical ties with the INC.”

Villarama says Ka Erdie was loyal to a fault, especially to those who have helped the INC “when it was still being persecuted as a religious group.” On the other hand, his son, spared of such debts of gratitude, could adopt a “less personal, more objective approach.”

During the Marcos dictatorship, the INC allied itself with late strongman, and the strong ties were carried over to Cojuangco in the 1992 presidential race. Cojuangco was one of Marcos’s cronies.

The sect’s support for Estrada also has historical ties. The Manalos and Estrada forged their relationship when he was still mayor of San Juan.

INC purge

A former politician related to abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak how Manalo disengaged from a previous campaign promise after learning that the politician was running for a vice-gubernatorial post in one province. “When he found out I was running, Manalo took back his endorsement to my rival. That’s how he valued ties.”

If the elder Manalo decided with his heart, the younger Manalo’s decisions may be less clouded by emotional links.

The current purge at the INC of corrupt ministers is one sign.

Members told abs-cbnews.com/Newsbreak that Eduardo Manalo has initiated a purge of crooked members that spared no one, including in the INC inner circle. One of the casualties was a trusted emissary of Ka Erdie to Malacañang. “That’s how strict he is,” says one member.

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