Marcoleta: INC's silence on my detention is respect for due process, test of faith

Detained Senator Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday addressed the perceived “silence” of his religious sect, Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), regarding his imprisonment, stating it reflects respect for due process and a test of faith. Marcoleta is an INC member. "This is to dispel the notion circulating on various social media platforms today that the perceived ‘silence’ of the Iglesia Ni Cristo concerning my imprisonment is in a way equated to the Church’s resolve in approaching the said issue," Marcoleta wrote in a Facebook post. During his senatorial campaign, the INC endorsed his bid and stood by him when plunder charges were brought against him in July. Marcoleta said the INC has no obligation to publicly react or comment on his detention, adding that his current situation reflects a test of faith that church members fully understand. "The INC adheres to what has been foretold: that its members—prominent or otherwise—will not be immune from persecution and privation as these ordeals were palpably chronicled by varied biblical accounts evidencing how their faith was tested to the hilt," the senator said. "To be sure, it is the fundamental doctrine of the Church that all that is bound to happen is willed by God according to His plan which, in the end, will ultimately redound to the flock’s good and betterment," he added. According to Marcoleta, the INC is no stranger to public vilification and views these trials as a rite of passage that tests each member’s faith and moral integrity. Marcoleta emphasized that the silence of the INC should not be mistaken for weakness or a lack of resolve. "The INC’s “silence” on my jailing should never be misconstrued as indifference, weakness, or diminished resolve. It reflects neither acquiescence nor abandonment but fidelity to its deep-seated beliefs and respect for the judicial processes," he added. Marcoleta is currently detained at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas for his pending non-bailable plunder case. The Office of the Ombudsman filed the plunder charges after finding that Marcoleta received P75 million in campaign contributions for the 2025 senatorial elections, which he failed to declare in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures. Information Source: GMA News Philippines