Power has been cut off at the house at Np. 36 Tandang Sora Avenue, where Angel and Lottie Manalo, the estranged siblings of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo Manalo, have been staying for since they were expelled from church a few months ago. They were told they had to pay a Meralco bill amounting to PHP1,388,950.59. However, Meralco said they have not done any disconnection at 36 Tandang Sora. So, what gives?
It looks like this so-called family matter has not yet been resolved and is simply getting uglier.
“Electricity has been cut off in 36 Tandang Sora, where Angel and Lottie Manalo, the estranged siblings of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) executive minister Eduardo Manalo, have been holed up months since they were expelled from the influential church,” reports Rappler.
It may be recalled that the Manalo siblings have claimed harassment by top church officials. In July, Angel and their mother Tenny appeared in a YouTube video announcing that their lives were in danger.
Now, they said that the power cut “is the latest in a series of moves that aim to force the siblings out of the Quezon City compound.”
The thing is, Rappler “obtained a photo of the notice of disconnection from Manila Electric Company (Meralco) addressed to the Iglesia ni Cristo, with address at 0001 New Tagumpay, New Era, Quezon City.”
Based on the notice, Meralco “would cut off electricity on September 29, 2015, due to unpaid bills amounting to PHP1,388,950.59.”
However, the Manalo siblings said the power at 36 Tandang Sora was completely cut off only on Dec 1. When Rappler checked with Meralco, the power company clairifed that they didn’t cut off the power to 36 Tandang Sora. In fact, Meralco explained that “no disconnection of the main meter has been made.”
The Manalo siblings likewise pointed out that the address on the Meralco bill was not 36 Tandang Sora, but rather to an address identified with the INC organization itself.
Rappler tried to get to the bottom of the “power struggle.” They cited expelled INC minister Isaias Samson Jr., who claimed that there was a submeted inside the property and that may have been the one decommissioned.
