Was Bro. Felix Manalo a rapist?

The most raised issue, and most often attack by Catholic defenders, ADD members and other faiths, is about Bro. Felix Manalo. They conclude that Bro. Felix is convicted, others say guilty in the case of him and Sis. Rosita Trillanes.

Well, lets find out what really is the story, si Bro. Felix a “rapist”?? I found an answer from the bearens.net forum, from a member and here, it is stated (Ill also try to translate it in English^_^):

Quote from: Teddy Lejero

Isa ito sa pinag-aralan kong mabuti at ayon sa aking pagsusuri, may tatlong tao na itiniwalag si Felix Manalo. Isa sa tatlong ito ay kamag-anak ni Rosita Trillanes. Na-convince nila si Rosita na gumawa ng sulat para pagbintangan si FYM na humalay sa kanya para lamang makaganti sila sa pagtiwalag sa kanila.

Pumayag naman si Rosita. Kumalat ang sulat na ito sa mga tao at sa mga pahayagan. Kaya idenemanda ni FYM si Rosita ng libelo. Nanalo si FYM. Ngunit nag-apela si Rosita hindi sa kasong rape or paghahalay kundi upang baligtarin ang unang desisyon na libelo.

(This is one of those ive studied, and based on my examination, there are 3 inc members expelled in the church. One of them where relatives of Sis. Rosita. They convince Sis. Rosita to write a testimony and accuse Bro. Felix that he was harassed by him just for them to repay from the expulsion in the church.

Sis. Rosita was convinced. The letter/testimony spreads from the people and from the newspapers. That’s why Bro. Felix charge her of libel. Bro. Felix won the case, but Sis. Rosita appealed not in the case of rape or harassment but to reverse the 1st decision of libel.)

Ngunit natauhan si Rosita. Gumawa siya ng affidavit na hindi totoo ang mga una niyang salaysay ukol sa panghahalay.

(But Sis. Rosita regain consciousness. She make an affidavit that her 1st testimony were not true about the harassment.)

Republic of the Philippines
City of Manila S.S.

AFFIDAVIT

I, ROSTIA TRILLANES, Filipino, of legal age, married a resident of and with a postal address at 639 Piy Margal, Manila, upon being duly sworn according to law depose and say:

1. That I am the same ROSITA TRILLANES who was accused of libel by Mr. Felix Manalo before the Court of First Instance of the City of Manila, in the month of September in the year 1939;

2. That I was convicted by the Court of First Instance for that crime upon my failure to prove the truth thereof, said conviction having been published by the Taliba, on January 4, 1941;

3. That I appealed from the decision of the said Court of First Instance to the Court of Appeals because of my fear that upon my failure to pay the fine imposed threat that I would be imprisoned;

4. That concerning that libelous letter I wrote and for which I accused by Mr. Felix Manalo, I hereby state and so declare, that all matters therein stated and written are all false and pure fabrications without any truth whatsoever;

5. That the letter and all those matters stated therein was fabricated by Messrs Raymundo Mansilungan, Tedoro Briones and Cirilo Gonzales who induced me to sign the same upon their representation that it would be shown only to the brethren of the Church of Christ (IGLESIA NI CRISTO) to convince them to revolt against the administration of Mr. Felix Manalo, in retribution against him for expelling us from the Church;

6. That together with Messrs Raymundo Mansilungan, Tedoro Briones and Cirilo Gonzales, we were expelled from the Church for Acts and behaviors contrary to the doctrines of the Church;

7. That contrary to my expectation, my companions above mentioned not only showed the letter to the brethren in the Church, but published the same in a Pampango Newspaper, entitled “Ing Cawal”, whose editor at the time was Salvador Tumang, and as a consequence thereof, Mr Felix Manalo filed a libel suit against me and against Salvador Tumang and Cirilo Gonzales, resulting in our conviction,

8. That after my conviction I appealed the case to the Court of Appeals and by claiming that I was motivated by good intentions I was able to acquit myself (see Official Gazette Vol. 1, July 1942 – No. 8180, April 21, 1942), although, since then and up to the present time, I have been bothered continuously by remorse and a guilty conscience;

9. That I have therefore executed the foregoing affidavit to confirm the truth of all I haves stated above and for such other purposes for which the same could be availed of to right the wrong and injustice I have committed against Mr. Felix Manalo about whose integrity and character I have the highest of regard and respect. Furthermore, I have executed the same without any consideration whatsoever, without having been induced by any one, except for the reasons I have stated, and without mental reservation whatsoever.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have signed this affidavit, and affixed my right hand thumb mark below that of my signature at the left margin of the first pageand at the bottom hereof, to remove any doubt about the authenticity of this instrument, this 21st day of November 1952, in the City of Manila, Philippines.

(signature)
Rosita Trillanes
Right hand_________Thumb mark

Signed in the presence of:

(Signature of witness) (signature of 2nd witness)


Subscribed and sworn to before me this 21st day of November, 1952, at Manila, Philippines; affiant exhibited to me her Residence Certificate No. A0385178 issued at Maila, on November 7, 1952.

(signature)
(Notary Seal) Frolian Tafalla
Notary Public
Until December 31, 1952
Doc. No. 118
Page No. 97
Book No. II
Series of 1952

Si Rosita Trillanes ay bumalik at namatay na Deaconess sa loob ng Iglesia ni Cristo.

(Sis. Rosita Trillanes came back in the church and died as a Deaconess.)

Here is the scanned retraction:

This affidavit of Sis. Trillanes were also the SUMMARY of what really happen, that she was only convinced by other people to do it because they were EXPELLED from the church. However, still these nonmembers ask many questions regarding this, because they cannot accept the truth, that they malign and made such LIES saying Bro. Felix is a “rapist” however, when it is about the case of their priest ABUSE children and etc, they are SILENT, when it is about Mr. Soriano, who have many cases being thrown to him, not even FACE the accusations on him, his members says that all those were only ACCUSATIONS and not true.

But when it is about Bro. Felix Manalo, they even adulterated pictures of him, make blogs/sites discussing that the court favored Sis. Rosita and that the court said that Bro. Felix is “a MAN OF LOW MORALS”, this is their source:

1. Citing the case of People versus Trillanes, published in the Official Gazette, Volume I, No. 1, July 1954, p. 394, docketed as Case No. 8180, April 21, 1942. The Court of Appeals where Trillanes was acquitted. The appellate court upheld Trillanes and categorically called Manalo “a man of low morals” (“un hombre de baja moral’).

2. Further more: “…Manalo, took advantage of his position as head of the Iglesia ni Cristo, and …employed religion as a cloak to cover his…immoral practices; that he pretended to be the Messias sent by God; and that to persuade his victims, he cited the example of Solomon and his many wives”

Here is the retraction of Bro. Ismael to the church, in his letter he also tackled and PROVE that the issue about Bro. Felix is a “rapist” is not but a big LIE!

“…One of those things I say on air was the issue concerning Rosita Trillanes. They say in their program that we (Iglesia ni Cristo) do not dare touch that issue. We've (InC) already responded to that, a while back. Not just me, but even Bro Paul Guevarra answered that. Even Maximo Bularan. Even then, when they we're forcing me to say those things, I refused. I told them 'I know that case'. She (Trillanes) was sued by Bro Felix Manalo and they were convicted, she and her accomplishes. There even came a time when she (Trillanes) retracted. Why would I repeat something that's not true?...”

Let us clear this issue step by step. Many questions were raised in our minds about this issue because of the LIES of nonmembers to the Church of Christ.

By the way, who are those MEMBERS that were expelled from the church?

from examineiglesianicristo.com

Teofilo Ora leaves Church of Christ
In May 1922, former members of the Philippine-based Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ), Teofilo Ora, Januario Ponce and Basilio Santiago gather some members of the Iglesia ni Cristo formally separating from the church. Several months later, they name the Church Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus (English Translation: Church of God in Christ Jesus). That same year, Nicholas Perez became a member and preacher of this group at Maragondon, Cavite.
source: wikipedia

So now its clear, those are the three members expelled in the church and made their own churches. It is where the church founded by Eliseo soriano rooted, like protestantism.

Many will ask, why then only ten years or whatsoever Sis. Rosita retracted?

Just see the sequence of the events above, because she was bothered by her guilty conscience. And after realizing that, that is why she wanted to come back in the church!


Why the church accept her and became a deaconess while she is a "PERJURER"?

If a member is expelled in the church, he/she has the chance to come back in the church, its called "balik loob" where there is also a process if the expelled member regretted to his/her mistakes/sins which he/she cause to be expelled. That's the only time when he/she can come back in the church. Like Sis. Rosita, she also have the chance to be back on the church especially, she was forgiven by Bro. Felix Manalo.

Some says, why is that the suspect(Bro. Felix) is the one who charge the victim(Sis. Rosita)?

That should be the thing for NONMEMBERS to think!
What really happened, is that Bro. Felix is the victim here, read the affidavit of Sis. Rosita for the events. He filed libel because Sis. Rosita and other make such lie to Bro. Felix saying that they were harassed by him.


Nonmembers argue,we thought that an INC member should not file a suit in a co-member?

In those times, Sis. Rosita and others were already EXPELLED in the church before the issue spreads.


They say, Why Bro. Felix Manalo did not appeal to the court in its decision saying about his "immorality"?

That's the thing that shows the humbleness of Bro. Felix, he knows that the accusation is not true and the members know it. Many persecution came around on the church especially to Bro. Felix, this is just ONE of those!

The decision dated April 1942 and the retraction was made November 7, 1952. Therefore, the decision of the court before the retraction was made is nothing but wrong!


Bro. Felix Manalo: A REAL MAN vs. Eliseo Soriano: pretending to be a MAN

Bro. Felix Manalo is a real man, because even though there were heavy accusations about him, he FACED IT. Even those are published in newspapers, he is there and ready to defend himself. There are also documented events about the threats to his life by hukbalahaps, but he doesnt hide.

While a boastful uneducated televangelist Eliseo Soriano, who have many charges in the Philippines is nowhere to found because he is abroad to escape on those charges. One of those were the rape cases from a former member of his founded church. He also claims to be "brave" as how he "challenge" Bro. Erano and Bro. Eduardo on a debate, but we all know that executive ministers of the church would not, in any way, give any attention to his "challenge" because if that happens, they will be accused as CHEAP. Because Mr. Soriano is a cheap preacher and debater.

If only Bro. Felix is still living, he would defend the church to the church of soriano, and this preacher will be embarrassed on the result of their debate! A debate between Bro. Felix and Soriano, so that INC members who joined his church will be enlightened and his church would perish!


CONCLUSION: If the accusation is true, that Bro. Felix "raped" many, and Sis. Rosita is one of them, she will probably would not, in any way, wanted to come back in the church. If you were really raped, would you want to go back to the "rapist"?

Dont say Bro. Felix or the Church of Christ INFLUENCED her and etc. because in those times, INC is not that HUGE and influential. Sis. Rosita Trillanes came back in the church and died as a DEACONESS.

Therefore, it just proves, that the accusations about "immorality" on Bro. Felix Manalo were all, but a LIE! Meaning, all those written in the NEWSPAPERS like bombshell and official gazzete were published BEFORE the retraction made, meaning, NOT UPDATED IN THE TRUTH.

CASE CLOSED!