Father-figure - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Father-figure - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

The death of Executive Minister Eraño “Ka Erdy” Manalo of the Iglesia ni Cristo, who passed away last Monday at the age of 84, has plunged the church his father founded in 1914 into deep grief. For many members, the loss was most personal. The reaction of a volunteer worker at a church-affiliated TV network reflected the distress of many: “Father is gone. Father is gone,” the volunteer said in Filipino, weeping.
To the millions of Iglesia members, Ka Erdy was, simply, “Tatay,” the father-figure of a growing but close-knit family. To other Filipinos, especially Roman Catholics who only had a hazy notion of the beliefs of the homegrown church he led, he was a mostly mysterious figure—not because his life was shrouded in secrecy, but because he was a truly simple man, and averse to publicity. It is this quality that gave him an aura of mystery; he was unlike other religious leaders who cut a high profile or whip up congregations into a frenzy.

The Iglesia ni Cristo has been blessed, to use a rather worldly criterion, with the longevity of its leaders. Founder Felix Manalo served as executive minister for almost half a century, and his son and successor served for over 46 years. This blessing has allowed a church famous for its discipline to hold fast to its core beliefs even in a changing world; analogously, the distinctive architecture of INC temples has enabled the church to retain a very clear image of itself even through the years.

But the INC under Ka Erdy was also quick to adapt to changing circumstances. In 1968, the church began expanding to other countries. Today, it is present in 90 countries. The INC is also very media-savvy, with its central offices housing TV networks that help broadcast the news and spread the faith.

By all accounts, Ka Erdy was a true man of God, personally modest, devoted to his family and above all dedicated to the ministry. The deep grief INC members feel at his passing comes, not only from their belief that he was God’s chosen messenger, but from their keen recollection of his kindly nature.

But any discussion of the role Ka Erdy and his fast-growing church played and continues to play in Philippine society is not complete without a mention of the political influence the Iglesia ni Cristo wields—a direct consequence of its church discipline.

While it is not true that every single member of the church votes according to the discernment of the church leaders, surveys have confirmed that by far it is the most cohesive religious organization, and votes mostly as a bloc.

A telling tribute from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s eldest son, Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo, made when he visited the religious leader’s wake, was not lip service but the candid truth. Ms Arroyo, the congressman said, would not have become president if it weren’t for Manalo.

This simple assertion is true for most presidents since the reelection of Ferdinand Marcos in 1969. And in point of fact, Ka Erdy was already executive minister then. The estimate then was that the INC’s 300,000 votes went solidly for Marcos in a contentious election. This support became one of the main reasons Marcos became the first president since Manuel L. Quezon back in Commonwealth days to be reelected.

So Mikey Arroyo had reason to make the dutiful trek to the Iglesia’s Central Temple, as did many other politicians. (Speaker Prospero Nograles bused in well over 100 House members to the wake—surely a crystalline sign of the church’s political clout.)

It should be noted, however, that when President Arroyo made her first attempt to fast-track Charter change in 2006 through a Senate-less constituent assembly in December 2006, the Iglesia ni Cristo was among the religious organizations that vigorously protested the self-serving maneuver’s blatant immorality. Not even the President’s closeness or deference to Ka Erdy Manalo could disguise the rank immorality of the unconstitutional maneuver.

Mikey Arroyo may thus choose to remember the support the Iglesia ni Cristo threw his mother’s way in 2004, but he would do well to also remember a warning from the Bible: What the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Ka Erdy’s long and full life is a lesson in providence.

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