Newsvine: Philippines: Not an Iraq But Ever Dangerous to Journalists

The columnist of this Newsvine.com article asks - Are journalists meant to be shut up and finally killed?

And a case in point is the preacher and evangelist, Bro. Eli Soriano.

The Eliseo Soriano Case

Bro. Eliseo Soriano is a prominent host of UNTV, particularly the ADD by Demand of The Old Path (TOP) Channel. A critical televangelist, he is also the leader of the Members of Church of God International (MCGI), a homegrown religious organization in the country that is now gaining international recognition and affiliation. On May 7, 2005, Soriano received a memorandum of suspension from Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) under the Office of the President that is being chaired by Ma. Consoliza Laguardia. She took such action when the INC filed a complaint that Soriano called the sect “Iglesia ni Manalo” (Church of Manalo) as he was addressing that the organization was founded by Felix Manalo. However, the Commission on Human Rights - National Capital Region (CHR-NCR) found that Laguardia’s action was inconsistent when she dismissed the case with the same nature that Soriano filed against the respondents. As if adding insult to the injury, the Board suspended even four television shows of Soriano’s group namely “Itanong Mo Kay Soriano” (Ask Soriano, the Bible will answer), D’ X-Man, “Ayon sa Biblia” (According to the Bible), and Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) for a period of thirty days. The Commission on Human Rights (CHR-NCR) said in their 19 October 2005 news release that the MTRCB’s decision was unfair while Soriano’s contentions were meritorious.

Jojo Robles in Manila Standard Today (25 May 2005) reported of this case and quoted Soriano as saying, “The very agency (MTRCB) supposedly tasked to protect our guaranteed constitutional rights, is now being used to issue illegal orders against Ang Dating Daan.” Robles' article, titled “INC Against Free Press?” further said, “We wonder if the press freedom advocates, who are quick and unrelenting in their condemnation of any curtailment of the freedom of the press (and the killing of journalists) will have anything to say about these two cases involving INC before they, too, degenerate into actual shooting wars.” The two cases Robles was talking about were those of Ross Tipon and Eliseo Soriano.

To read the article in full, click here

Cry to heaven

Sometime in June 2005. Manila Standard Today's Mike de Juan posted this -

Gagged and bound with black bands, supporters of Bro. Eli Soriano trooped to the Commission on Human Rights to dramatize their protest against Consoliza Laguardia, chairman of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. Laguardia has suspended all television and radio programs of the televangelist, including the popular Ang Dating Daan, a religious program that focuses on the teachings of the Bible, for an indefinite period.

The document showing the decision of the CHR regarding the MTRCB's violation of Eliseo Soriano's rights as preacher and using mass media in preaching.

The Accused vs. the Accuser

Pictures can paint a thousand words, much more a video.

Just by observing, it will not take a genius to understand that Eliseo Soriano, the accused, is innocent from all the crimes people have been throwing out against him. This video shows us a glimpse of the 64-year-old preacher. By peering through his eyes you will see the clean conscience and sincere heart.

Eli Soriano, international evangelist and host of The Old Path
by Elisoriano.com

On one hand, his accuser, Daniel Veridiano aka Puto, is shown below, seeming regretful and in remorse. (But later events will show that Puto joined the Iglesia ni Cristo, the group with which Soriano is exposing for various unbiblical doctrines, aside from its founder Felix Manalo whose shady past is thousand times more questionable.)

This confession footage culled from video sharing site Youtube, it turned out, was had after this certain Puto was revealed by more than nine young teenage boys to have actually committed rape and sexual advances against them, based on a confession letter. Later reports would show that more than 14 were raped by Veridiano.

The confession Video of Daniel Puto Veridiano



The article, Portrait of the "raped" man for whom the Interpol would mobilize, really caught our eyes and in deep thoughts, help us see and weigh who is the real culprit.

In an information-dense society, citizen journalism, and in this Youtube generation, very few people will not know what the Daniel Veridiano's penis enlarger metaphor means.

We can immediately see playing in our mind's eyes the image of a sex-starved gay man whose room is filled with other sexual paraphernalia like slut magazines, pornographic DVDs, and many others.

The image of the penis enlarger = Daniel Veridiano has served as the symbol of a sexual predator whose eyes lusts to anyone he deemed will be intimidated by his power, being an officer of a department.

In the present media environment in the Philippines, it is no wonder that Puto and his backers, the Iglesia ni Cristo are very much succeeding. Newsvine columnist Jane Abao calls Puto the "star of the moment."

Unfortunately, very few journalists today ever care about media responsibility, ethics and fair reporting. Only but few can we say are practicing real, analytical and investigative reporting, very few. Some are published writers from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) we believe are doing sensible reporting.

To wit, there is selectivity of news that we can see prevalent in the media environment of the Philippines. Why? culling from news reports that tackled and talked about Eliseo Soriano, not one even spare put a space that showed his side of the story. None.

So the People May Know

Dear fellowmen, friends, sympathizers and those who believe in the innocence of Eli Soriano,

The spate of issues and negative publicity hurled against the Ang Dating Daan preacher Eliseo Soriano cannot belie one fact. That his enemies, the Iglesia ni Cristo and allies, are doing all means to execute a master plan they themselves have concocted - “Task force liquidate Eliseo Soriano at ALL COST”.

For all we know, the enemies are succeeding in this design - to create an image opposite and contrary to the person of the international evangelist Bro. Eli Soriano. Today, Soriano is globally preaching, visiting one country after another. But his enemies want him stopped.

Just look at the past and latest issues that the media developed and have so successfully made against Bro. Eli - one time he was land grabber, one time he was opportunist, juicing every cent from members, one time he was libelous, and this time, he was a sex crime offender. But not one of these issues are TRUE.

It only took his enemies power, money and wide net of influence to have perfected this grand design. To say the least, these enemies use its members, the hapless souls, who are unwarily being sold as part of the bloc vote package to every politician who are desiring a sure, landslide victory come election race. This is no mere coincidence that we know of these things, there are many reports and blogs that investigated about this already.

Now, they have opened a stage for the world to watch and believe about Bro. Eli - as criminal offender. And now, the Interpol, an international police governing body, may be believing this imagined issue. For everyone's information - They have completed the data in the Interpol. It is sex crimes that they impute against Soriano.

To those who know the truth, it is high time you speak! Are you just going to let another issue pass, and you will do nothing about this? Do you believe that this person has committed the SEX CRIMES imputed on him? See this link.

To the members of this Church, will you just let the enemies trample on your rights, malign and discredit your leader's reputations, and in the end, convince thousands to millions of people that your leader is really what your enemies want the public say and believe about him.

Worst, it is not only the reputation and image of Soriano that are affected. It also put in great danger his safety, security which is now at great risk. When they put him on jail, who will speak of the truth now? Who will expose the filth and underground works of the professed religious?

Behind bars, anything can just happen. Gang wars, riots, maltreatment, and even corruption. Anything can happen, including killing Soriano. Who will stand liable then? Again, money can dictate who. It will be the same vicious cycle.

We know of only one who is undaunted, fiercely honest and brutally frank in telling the not-biblical teachings of the Iglesia ni Cristo that Christ is mere man and never a God. All the persecutions and harassment that Bro. Eli are experiencing now are all rooted to just one thing - Telling the Truth.

It is saddening and a great pity, even for a while, to be in the place of the accused. If you are him, how could you sleep when your name and photo can be viewed globally, not as a good citizen, but one among the world's most wanted? And the glaring reality is that you are INNOCENT.

We need the help and support of everyone - we need to speak the Truth.

See an article written in Newsvine titled as "Portrait of the "raped" man for whom the Interpol would mobilize".

The article bravely captured the essence of the issue at hand. It is a profile, in fact, of Daniel Veridiano, the person who claimed he was "raped" by Soriano. But, would you believe this man? Or, he is the shameless offender of the crimes he accused the preacher to have committed against him?

But the Philippine justice system would not let us know. Why? The case dismissing the rape charge against Soriano may already have been vanished at the docket of the legal department. We never know. But it is highly possible. Money talks.

And this Veridiano is a free man, no worries at all that he will be captured nor suffer the brunt of his offenses. Not even a tinge of remorse can be seen in this man.

This is a call to all the sympathizers, friends and members of the Church of God International. Will you just let another innocent blood suffer from all the shenanigans of the true hoodlums?

From sympathizers and friends of Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path)
31 August 2008