By: Lowell R. Menorca II
Several articles have been written about what happened to me on Jan 20 when I was stopped on my way to the Court of Appeals to testify.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/119633-iglesia-ni-cristo-lowell-menorca-arrest
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2016/01/20/Lowell-Menorca-INC-arrest-libel.html
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/01/20/1544522/ex-inc-minister-arrested-libel
http://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/national/menorca-kid-traumatized-by-dads-arrest/ar-BBoveRZ
http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/01/20/16/ex-inc-minister-menorca-arrested-on-way-to-court
To name a few…
These are the Videos taken by my wife, Seiko:
Now, I would like to share with you another video taken by someone other than my wife.
As you can see, the unidentified man repeatedly tried to subdue me and push me to the ground, in the process literally tearing my clothes apart until I was down to my undershirt.
Witnesses, including one on a bicycle, stopped and demanded many times that the two unidentified men show their badge and identification.
I did not hit the man in striped shirt with my fist as he claimed in his statement. I was merely trying to push him away for him to let go of me.
The man in striped shirt asked his companion to call a mobil (police car) because “nahihirapan” na daw sya.
A witness asked them “Nasan and mobil nyo kung talagang police kayo?” (Where’s your police car if you truly are police officers?)
I told the man in striped shirt to let go of me because I was just there. I nudged him a little with my hand and he exclaimed to me that I shouldn’t slap him in the face??? Where in the video did I slap him??!!
This video also shows clearly that the statement of Station 10 Supt. Ed Leonardo, (who admitted to being an INC MEMBER) claiming that he had officers in uniform around us during the whole time of the arrest is NOT TRUE.
During the Inquest Proceedings on Jan 20 regarding the resisting arrest complaint filed by the arresting officers, it was discovered that the unidentified man in striped shirt is also an INC MEMBER when I personally asked them one by one during my inquest infront of the media, what religion they belong to. Apparently, they were operating an uncoordinated rogue operation outside their jurisdiction. They belong to Station 10 (Pandacan); our location was within the jurisdiction of Station 5 (Ermita).
When asked by the media who gave him the copy of the warrant, Col. Leonardo said “a concerned citizen tipped him” and that “the arrest warrant was left on his desk”.
http://www.tempo.com.ph/…/arresting-officers-to-sue-lowell…/
When I was to be taken to the hospital for medico-legal procedures, even the escorts in the vehicle they wanted me to ride in were composed of INC MEMBERS when, upon my request, the Station Commander asked them one by one regarding their religion. COINCIDENCE still?
When INC Spokesperson Edwin Zabala stated that INC had no hand in my OVERKILL ARREST while I was on my way to The Court of Appeals for a hearing on my Amparo case against INC, all one has to do is count how many INC members were involved in that operation, the manner in which the operation was conducted, and then use intellect and common sense to determine whether Mr. Zabala told the truth or not.
There is one question that begs to be asked. Where was Mayor Joseph Estrada in all these? There was a commotion happening right in his own city, one that has certainly reached his ears through social or print media, or through the people around him. It was on the front page of all national newspapers, on primetime news on TV, and talked about on the radio. The integrity of the Manila Police was being questioned. And yet, the mayor of the great City of Manila has remained mum the whole time. We’d like to know why.
Or is the answer too obvious we needn’t ask?
If so, let me just smile to all of those who thought they were successful in silencing me. You can try and put me to jail more than I can count, but the TRUTH will come out… and you can take that to the court.