By Diego Morra
“You can’t always get what you want,” goes the Rolling Stones tune. It might as well refer to the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), which has had some success in its pressure tactics directed at the Philippine government. In Canada? It just got smacked in the face as a Canadian judge recently junked its defamation case against the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) for running interviews with expelled INC members in 2018 who had alleged corruption, harassment and even the murder of an avowed enemy.
The Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba-Winnipeg Center, the highest tribunal in Manitoba, dismissed INC’s claim against CBC due to the sect’s “persistent failure” to comply with multiple court rules, meaning the INC was not following proper procedures during the trial. In what could be a first in Canadian jurisprudence, the judge ruled that INC should pay damages to CBC as well as legal fees and disbursements, within 30 days of the Feb. 7 decision or suffer more sanctions. This is a case wherein the accuser gets “convicted” for trying to use the bench to get back at defendants Lowell Menorca II, Liezl de Ocampo and Rolando Dizon—all expelled INC members who were interviewed by CBC. Menorca and de Ocampo claimed bankruptcy during the trial.
It is not known if Canadian courts could order the dissolution of the INC for engaging in improper litigation that bothered the Canadian broadcaster and needled the defendants, who had to be represented by counsel. On Mar. 25, 2025, a Japanese district court ordered the dissolution of the Unification Church for pressuring followers into making life-ruining donations and neglecting their children. With its legal status revoked, the Moonies would lose its tax-exempt privilege and require liquidation of its assets. The assassin of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe blamed the Moonies, called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, for brainwashing his mother into donating their family wealth to the church. It is the first religious group subject to a revocation order under Japan’s civil code. More than 5,000 documents and pieces of evidence were submitted to the court, along with interviews with more than 170 people.
“Based on the totality of the evidence, I conclude the plaintiffs (INC) have deliberately failed to comply with the court rules and my directions. This is an extreme case of repeated non-compliance with the Rules. I have concluded there is no likelihood that the plaintiffs would comply with further court orders. Therefore, the extraordinary but appropriate remedy is to dismiss the action,” Justice Kenneth Champagne wrote in his ruling as he also barred INC’s request to allow it to modify or change a petition, saying it was “an abuse of the process of the court.”
INC fumed that CBC ran stories between October and November 2018 that the church deemed to be defamatory. CBC’s “Fifth Estate” series aired an episode, titled “Church of Secrets,” and published an article of the same title on Nov. 11, 2018 that detailed the controversies hounding INC, including accusations of financial irregularities, kidnapping and the murder of a Canadian man. CBC also aired interviews with the “Fifth Estate” journalists, narrating how they were harassed and intimidated by INC members when they were trying to interview INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo during an event in Sacramento, California.
In February 2019, six INC chapters in Canada’s provinces (including Alberta, Manitoba, Montreal) sued CBC, “Fifth Estate” host Robert McKeown and show producers Timothy Sawa and Lynette Fortune, along with interviewees Menorca, de Ocampo and Rolando Dizon—all expelled INC members. Menorca and De Ocampo claimed bankruptcy during the trial. In their defense, Menorca, de Ocampo and Dizon asserted the publications were true, adding that the information they provided was “fair commentary on matters of public interest and the information was responsible communication.”
Champagne rebuked INC and said its litigation history is “a concerted strategy to use the courts and other institutions to silence its critics.” He cited how INC targeted Menorca and De Ocampo with a barrage of lawsuits in the Philippines, including 40 libel cases against Menorca alone, as well as in Canada and in the United States, which contributed to their bankruptcy. “Whoever is calling the shots for INC has previously made a determined effort to use the court process to silence their critics. The totality of the evidence supports one conclusion: INC continues to engage in this litigation strategy,” Champagne said. “This conduct is unacceptable and reprehensible as it diminishes the court’s integrity and undermines confidence in the administration of justice,” he added.
The justice also noted the deficiencies in the testimony of Bro. Rvy Medicielo, whom INC presented as a “knowledgeable representative” to be cross-examined by the defendants’ lawyers. Champagne ruled that Medicielo was “nothing more than a sacrificial lamb.” He added: “He knew little, if anything, about matters in this litigation… His knowledge on important matters was virtually nonexistent.” The court found that Medicielo’s examination resulted in more than 50 undertakings and many of the answers he gave were “generic and unhelpful.” #