Manalo siblings charged over gun cache

MANILA, Philippines -  The Quezon City police on Friday filed criminal charges against the expelled siblings of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo Manalo and their followers following a raid on their residence last Thursday.

Felix Nathaniel Manalo II, Lolita Manalo-Hernandez and 24 others were charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition under Republic Act 10591, said Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar.

Jonathan Ledesma and Joseph Saballuca, aside from facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, were also charged with frustrated murder and direct assault after they allegedly shot two policemen who were part of the team that served a search warrant at the compound along Tandang Sora Avenue in Barangay New Era.

A police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the inquest proceedings took place in the QCPD headquarters at Camp Karingal Friday night.

“We did not bring them to the office of the city prosecutor because of security considerations,” the official said.

Manalo and his male companions are being held at the detention cell of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) while the females are in a separate dormitory.

Supporters were seen bringing food and water to Manalo and his companions yesterday morning.

Eleazar said police officers recovered a shotgun, an M-16 rifle, two carbine rifles, a rifle grenade, a .40 caliber Springfield Armory USA pistol and around 100 bullets from the house.

The search warrant was issued after two guards reported that someone shot at them from within the compoun last Monday.