Iglesia Ni Cristo Gets Flak from Refusing to Shelter Yolanda Victims
This time, over an online article saying their church in Iloilo “refused” to shelter victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last weekend. The church was first attacked for their medical mission that garnered a million people in Manila last month.
The said “refusal” article instantly spread like wildfire online. It was accompanied by a photo of INC’s unharmed church standing in the middle of the damaged establishments in Tacloban.
In all honesty, we found it very difficult to write, especially that sensitive issues like this would remain rumor until admitted by the parties involved or until proven true by eye witnesses or the victims themselves.
The issue was first published on a blog site ran by a Roman Catholic priest named Abe Arganiosa, splendorofthechurch.com.ph.
The priest’s article was backed up by a Facebook post from a certain Mai Militante who wrote:
Story of our staff from the Yolanda Typhoon incident… they were walking from estancia to balasan road… it was still raining and they were soaking wet, hungry, tired and dead scared… they stopped and thought they could rest at the churck of Iglesia ni Christo… but people from that church told them they cannot come in bcoz they are not members of that church… i was shocked with this story…. as they say, “whay u sow so shall you reap.” Grabe…
The site says, “In face of danger, it is the natural tendencies of Filipinos to take shelter to Churches and Schools. Yet, these members of the Iglesia ni Cristo refused to open doors like the unmerciful innkeepers in Bethlehem during the birth of the Messiah, refusing shelter to the Holy Family.”