The Quality of EVM's Leadership

The Quality of EVM's Leadership

The expelled members of the Sanggunian had been in good graces with EVM.  It cannot be said that during the years of being under the wings of the mother hen their lives had been marked by deprivation as in lacking the necessities of life because they had been so well fed with money and power.  In his tenure as the General Secretary, Radel Cortez is clothed with power to expel anyone.  Not few are of the opinion that some of those that he expelled are hidden from EVM’s knowledge he being the sole signatory in the R2-10 stamped with the words “Sa Atas ng Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan” (“At the Instruction of the Executive Minister’). But for those who up to this point remain unbelieving or vacillating in spite of the ever-mounting evidence that there is widespread corruption in the EVM institution, they cannot help but ask why will they do such a thing when they practically have everything?  Why the betrayal of trust and confidence?  Brethren and friends, you are not alone, we too are asking the same question but it isn’t hard for us to discern the real reason. Inasmuch as our faith is anchored mightily in the words of God let us seek enlightenment from the Holy Scriptures as to the kind of leadership that is built on a solid foundation.  This is what is written on Matthew 7:24-27.

²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

A man’s house or any institution for that matter that is built upon a rock will not collapse because its foundation is a solid rock.   You and I know that the rock or cornerstone being referred to by the bible is our Lord Jesus Christ, the foundation of the Apostles and the prophets.  (Ephesians 2:20)

“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.”

Is the EVM institution founded on the cornerstone that is the Lord Jesus Christ himself?  Let us turn back the hands of time during the waning days of Brother Erano G Manalo’s leadership and immediately after his death.  What are the events that transpired involving EVM and his wife Babylin that rocked the INC?  To name a few, they are:

·        EGM’s discovery of the Special Task Force (STF) organized by EVM.  He was ordered to dismantle it because it will lead the Church to apostasy.  Did he comply?  No.  Although some STF members were sent home abroad, its leader, Jojo de Guzman was clandestinely hidden in Mindoro by his girlfriend Sis. Gemma, the daughter of EVM and Babylin herself.

·        EGM did not want Jojo de Guzman to be part of the family.  Did EVM comply?  No.  In total defiance of his father’s order, EVM and his wife consented to Jojo de Guzman’s marriage to sister Gemma.

·        Ka Erdy strictly advised Babylin not to meddle in the affairs of the Church otherwise, the spirit of Jezebel will dawn upon her.  Did she obey?  No and a big no!  It is a common knowledge that she dictates and prevailed upon EVM and even vowed to erase the memory of Ka Erdy in the INC.  This is perhaps the precise reason why the ancestral home of EGM was leveled to the ground.

·      Inspired by the Holy Spirit and seeing perhaps EVM’s disobedience, reckless abandon and propensity to commit wholesale transgression of God’s law, Ka Erdy amended the Articles of Incorporation of the INC in the event of vacancy in the position of Executive Minister.  Did EVM comply?  No!  He immediately grab the throne and declared himself the new Executive Minister disregarding his father’s amendments.

·         It is a known fact after the passing away of Ka Erdy, EVM never did talk to his mother anymore.  And when sister Tenny learned of the abduction of some ministers and likewise fearing for her own life and of her childrens', she went to social media to plead for help from the brethren.  For doing so, she along with three of her children was expelled from the Church.  And as if their expulsion is not enough, EVM allowed them to be demonized, vilified, taunted and maligned by his “God-fearing” ministers and brethren in social media imputing upon them unimaginable charges that are simply nothing but pure lies.  

The bible said in Proverbs 16:12; Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation. In Proverbs 29:14 this is written:  Leadership gains authority and respect when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.

Does the leadership of EVM possess the qualities mentioned above?  Definitely not!  The absence thereof denotes a weak leadership that vultures translate into an opportunity to take advantage of. The bible said good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds but in EVM institution it is so abundant. Do they really believe in eternal condemnation in the lake of fire?  I don’t think so otherwise they should have ceased and desist from any wrongdoings.  

Contrary to what other religious leaders thought, the ministers and officers in the INC are not that dumb insofar as scholastic achievement is concerned.  They are professionals.  There are lawyers, doctors, engineers, etc. and so it is not that difficult for them to see the kind of leadership in the EVM institution.  One cannot help but compare how it was during Ka Erdy’s time and how it is today under the tutelage of EVM.  A lot of things have changed.  Notable are the violations that were rarely seen before but now are common occurrence.  

In the light of the foregoing, it is safe to say that the leadership of EVM is so weak because it is no longer founded upon the rock that is our Lord Jesus Christ.  His leadership today is founded on the spirit of Jezebel that dawned upon his wife when she insisted on having a hand in running the affairs of the INC.  He is surrounded by ministers with insatiable greed for money for which reason they will never have a second thought in amassing wealth at any given opportunity, legal or otherwise.  The culprits have been replaced; same dogs but different collars.  And as of this writing, reports keep pouring in from different locales and districts about ministers who were just as guilty as the “big four” but have yet to be acted upon by EVM.  It is a wonder if they will ever be punished for others believe that doing so will create a shortage of ministers in EVM’s circle.  I don’t know anymore when the next election in the Philippines will be but when it happens again, the INC being a perpetrator of corruption in the Philippine politics through block-voting will surely be the main player once more and the “trapos” will be dealing with the same modus operandi all over again but different faces this time.  However, even if you change horses in mid-stream but their greed remains unmoderated, the betrayal that happened will just become a vicious cycle.  It will be repeated over and over and over again.