(Eagle News) – The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has started recovery procedures for the vehicles registered under the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) inside its property at no. 36 Tandang Sora Avenue, Quezon City.
Five of the 16 INC registered vehicles were recovered Tuesday (July 19) by the Quezon City court sheriff as the Quezon City RTC branch 96 implemented the earlier order of court, particularly by Presiding Judge Primo G. Sio on the “writ of replevin” sought by the INC to recover its vehicles inside the compound.
In an order issued by Judge Sio, he designated the Office of the Clerk of Court of the QC RTC through the Ex-officio Sheriff, or the Assistant Clerk of Court as Sheriff, to implement the Writ of Replevin in the case.
The court issues a “writ of replevin” to a person whose personal property is wrongfully detained by another person in order to recover the said personal property.
The Sheriff served the writ to the occupants of # 36 T.Sora compound on Tuesday. But instead of respecting the court order, the illegal occupants of the INC property tried to prevent the court sheriff from entering the premises to implement the writ.
After hours of waiting, the Sheriff had to forcefully implement the court order by exercising his authority to enter the property.
The court on Tuesday (July 19) initially recovered five of the 16 vehicles subject of the writ inside the property.
The INC earlier filed a separate ejectment case against the property’s illegal occupants, namely expelled INC members Lolita “Lottie” Hemedez and Felix Nathaniel “Angel” V. Manalo, who, together with still unidentified persons, continued to occupy the said INC property in No.36 Tandang Sora despite a favorable court decision for the INC.
Last month, Judge Ann Sia of Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 12 decided the case in favor of the INC as the court immediately ordered the illegal occupants of the INC’s peroperty at 36 Tandang Sora Avenue in Quezon City to “immediately vacate” the said church premises.
The court’s decision in the civil suit, “unlawful detainer” case filed by the INC against the property’s illegal occupants, Lottie Hemedez and Angel Manalo, was already executory.
The court, in its order, said that the stay of the siblings was no longer legal. It was merely “tolerated” by the property’s real owner, the INC. When they were expelled from the Church after they violated Church doctrines, this “tolerance” ended, it said.
The INC has recently expressed serious concern about masked persons seen loitering inside the property. Hi-tech monitoring gadgets were also discovered hidden inside food deliveries in an attempt to smuggle them inside the property.
INC Spokesperson minister Edwil Zabala said through a statement that the INC had “received a favorable order granting our replevin case for INC cars still inside (36 TandangSora).”
“As far as I know, the RTC (regional trial court) handed the order to the sheriff and we cooperated,” Zabala said.
Meanwhile, Zabala deferred to the Court sheriff the matters that transpired inside the property in the light of the accusations of violence hurled against the INC made by no less than the legal counsel of the respondents, Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles.
“The sheriff is the best person to ask concerning what transpired inside… I am sure that Atty. Angeles knows the legal remedies available to someone claiming to be involved in such an incident”, Zabala said.
Witnesses said that some supporters of Angel Manalo and Lottie Hemedez conspired to make a scene and even destroyed the windshield of their own vehicle just to be able to claim harassment.
Early this year, Zabala said that the INC was able to recover 39 vehicles from the said property also through the court’s issuance of the writ of replevin.
