One of the country’s most powerful religious sect, the Iglesia Ni Cristo church denied the allegations thrown at them that they release a boycott order on various TV networks, print media and some local news media organization.
Based upon several posts on social media claimed that INC’s Templo Central had directed its members not to watch any program aired by broadcast giant ABS-CBN because the TV network tarnished the image of INC through its news report.
The Kapamilya news channel is one of the several news organization taht extensively covered the controversial arrest of former INC minister Lowell Menorca on January 20 on libel charges filed by INC-affiliated group. The former INC minister also claimed that he was abducted from Sorsogon on orders of INC leaders and on his way to court to testify but some plainclothes policemen arrested him.
Reports that INC made a boycott order surfaced on social media, one of those who reported the said order was Facebook user Israel Nono Ponce. In a Facebook post on January 26, Ponce said INC had directed its followers to refrain from watching ABS-CBN shows.
He noted that the advisory had come from INC’s Templo Ceentral, asking members “not to watch any program on ABS-CBN News because the station was one of those tarnishing the name of the church … since its management was imputing bad things meant to ruin the unity of INC.”