De Lima broke protocol

There were irregularities in the way Justice Secretary Leila de Lima handled the review of the kidnapping and serious illegal detention case involving leaders of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC or Church of Christ), according to sources of The Manila Times--including two former secretaries of Justice and ranking prosecutors.

The alleged mishandling of the case filed by expelled church minister Isaias Samson Jr. against members of the INC Sanggunian (Council) was widely believed as the reason why thousands of church members spilled into Padre Faura Street (Manila) and later to the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue-Shaw Boulevard intersection in Mandaluyong City (Metro Manila) and cried religious persecution against the government.