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GMA7 uses self-confessed serial rapist vs.crusading preacher, Ang Dating Daanboycott stays
By Jane Abao
Manila, Philippines (July, 1, 2009) – A giant TV network used a self-confessed serial rapist as aresource person recently to discuss a pending case he had filed against a fearless preacher knownfor exposing false practices.GMA7, considered the biggest among TV networks in the country used Daniel Veridiano aliasPuto as a resource person in an episode in
Case Unclosed 
, a program in GMA7 the night of June18, 2009.Veridiano claimed that the preacher, Bro. Eliseo Soriano, raped him on two counts – in 2000 andin 2001. Soriano is the Presiding Minister of the Members Church of God, International (MCGI)or Ang Dating Daan (ADD) as known to the public. Tagged as “the most sensible preacher in our time,” a bible scholar so adept in biblical teachings that any question could be asked of him, hehas become an international evangelist since 2005.With the West as his present focus, Soriano has tremendously increased the membership of theMCGI or ADD in six continents with the effective use of technology. Known as
TruthCaster 
for his biblical expositions, foreigners have largely come to know him through
Truth in Focus,
acompact disk reproduction of his discussions on the Word of God. Soriano’s preachingstherefore have reached remote places like those in South Africa and Saudi Arabia.Veridiano filed his complaint after a lapse of some 5 years when he could not be admitted back to the folds of the Church and subsequently left for the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) that readilyaccepted him. Preacher Soriano is considered the most vocal critic of the INC and Veridianoknew that.According to court records that first dismissed the case, Veridiano is “indisputably ill-motivatedfrom the inception” which is why he had filed the case. Soriano said Veridiano is retaliating for  being excommunicated.
 
As penned by Alexandro Lopez, Assistant Provincial Prosecutor of Region III, San Fernando,Pampanga and as approved by Jesus Y. Manarang, the Provincial Prosecutor: “The foregoingfacts, together with the rift going on between the INC and the ADD, which we cannot deny, onlyshow that the complainant was indisputably ill-motivated from the inception, and thesenecessarily, without any scintilla of doubt, substantially affect, if not lessen, his credibility as anunperjured affiant.
Case Unclosed 
is a news and public affairs TV show in the Philippines aired every Thursdayevenings by GMA Network.Currently hosted by Arnold Clavio, it supposedly showcasesvintage cases unsolved by authorities.“There was no sense of justice and equity in the
Case Unclosed 
of Arnold Clavio over GMA7. Inthe first place, the invented rape case against me is still in the courts,” the preacher said.Suggesting that vintage cases should have been the coverage of such a program, he underscoredthe status of the case that is still in the courts.Daniel Razon, the Vice Presiding Minister of the Church of God International, and a currentexecutive of UNTV, used to co-anchor a morning show,
Unang Hirit 
, with Arnold Clavio inGMA7. Razon was asked some years back by GMA7 if he could give up something from hisreligion to please the Iglesia ni Cristo. He instead chose to remain with his faith. From there,Razon was asked to resign.The Ang Dating Daan began its boycott of GMA on June 19, 2009 the following day that theepisode was shown.GMA is publicly known to compete with ABS-CBN, another TV network, for ratings. TheKapuso network of GMA is bruited about as dominating ratings in Mega Manila and UrbanLuzon, based on the data of AGB Nielsen Philippines. But even as they claim so, the ABS-CBNinsists its programs from daytime to primetime trumped its rival GMA’s shows nationwide basedon overnight TV ratings of Taylor Nelson Sofres. As publicly known, day in- day out, GMA andABS-CBN would compete for viewer ratings.The fight for ratings between GMA and ABS-CBN is seen by the Ang Dating Daan sector as partly the reason why GMA7 readily jumped into showing this highly questionable
CaseUnclosed 
episode. To reckon, the average number of ADD attendees in Apalit, Pampanga aloneduring regular thanksgivings is 70,000. If GMA7 thought of creatively increasing their ratings bydealing with this rape case where the accused is an international figure, then this network made afalse move. This is the current mood of the ADD now that posted many critical assessments of that GMA show.The presentation tackled only the side of the complainant, Veridiano, and nothing for theaccused, Bro. Eliseo Soriano. As presented in Clavio’s program, Veridiano also added more liesto his statements, obviously calculated to mislead the public and that he is an innocent victim.
 
Veridiano has become a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo whose habit appears to be that of maligning Soriano. Preacher Soriano routinely exposes the INC of their false beliefs usinglargely the text discourses in the INC magazine, Pasugo. With it, Soriano has found many errorswhich he would discuss in bible expositions that obviously embarrass the INC ministers no end.As an effect, the dwindling of the INC membership is credited to Soriano whose preachings wereable to enlighten several members of the INC to leave their chapels and join ADD.“It was in May of 2000 when he summoned me to his room. I was shocked at what followed. Atthat time I couldn’t resist his advances. There is a teaching in
 Ang Dating Daan
which says themessenger of God does not commit sin. Whatever he does to you is right and just. At that time, Iwas really terrified of him; and there also is a teaching in
 Ang Dating Daan
that one must dowhat Soriano tells him to do, at all times. Obey him, otherwise you’ll be cursed. Somethingreally, really bad will happen to you if you disobey this supposed messenger of God,” Veridianosaid in Clavio’s program.Veridiano ended his drama with this statement that sounded like a warning about a dangerousman:“If I don’t fight and speak up, a lot of people will be in danger; and they need to knowwhat he really is and that he is not sinless and he is not true.”The Ang Dating Daan is readying charges against Veridiano, Arnold Clavio, and GMA.Veridiano knows very well that there is no teaching in Ang Dating Daan from where he was ex-communicated that the messenger does not commit sin and that what he tells one to do is acommand to be followed or else one gets cursed.That Veridiano had been raping his subordinates over many years, taking advantage of a Churchcredit card for a considerable time, vacationing around beaches during worship services, andtraveling abroad at the expense of the Church money entrusted to him are facts that run counter to his made-up stories. Soriano said Veridiano was given all the chances to reform, but he didnot. Instead, he tried to cover up some of his doings that surfaced later on after he was expelledfrom the ADD environs.Veridiano was excommunicated from the church by Soriano in August 2005 uponrecommendation of an investigating panel tasked to look into complaints of raping hissubordinates at the ADDCIT, and gross misappropriation of church funds. Some 14 boys hadcomplained of rape and acts of lasciviousness where Veridiano had admitted of the 9 in aconfession letter that he wrote to two ministers of the Church dated November 21, 2004.Records show that the double rape case was filed in October 2005 but was dismissed on January6, 2006 for lack of evidence by the Regional Court of Pampanga. It was re-filed in higher court by the then Secretary of Justice, Raul Gonzalez who was particularly interested in the case.Through a memorandum to RSP Jesus Simbulan, ORSP, Region III, Gonzalez directed that therecords of the case be elevated to his office. To the Ang Dating Daan, however, this action ishighly irregular and suspect.
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