Eduardo V. Manalo

Eduardo V. Manalo
Religion Iglesia ni Cristo
Other names Ka Eduardo/ Brother Eduardo
Personal
Born October 31, 1955
Quezon City, Philippines
Senior posting
Based in INC Central Office Complex, Quezon City, Philippines
Title Executive Minister
"Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan" in Filipino (literally means "Over-all Administrator")
Period in office September 7, 2009 - Present
Predecessor Eraño G. Manalo
Religious career
Ordination May 9, 1980
Previouspost Deputy Executive Minister

Eduardo Villanueva Manalo, (born October 31, 1955) is the third and current Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) since 2009, upon succeeding Eraño G. Manalo after his death.[1]

Personal life

He is the eldest son of Eraño Manalo and Cristina Villanueva. His grandfather, Felix Manalo, named him "Eduardo," which literally means "guard." He was married to Lynn Ventura on January 2, 1982 whom he met when studying at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. Their three children also graduated at UP. Dorothy Kristine, who graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Law, is a lawyer serving as the Corporate Secretary of the Iglesia Ni Cristo and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New Era University. Gemma Minna earned Bachelor's degrees in Music Education and in Choral Conducting. She is the INC Overall Choir Director and the Head of the INC Music Department. She is married to Antonio De Guzman, a minister of the gospel and a graduate from Yale University. Angelo Eraño, a minister of the gospel, is the Overall Coordinator of the INC Christian Family Organizations and the CEO of Christian Era Broadcasting Service Incorporated; he took up European Languages at UP at the same time pursuing ministerial studies at the INC College of Evangelical Ministry.[2]

Education

Eduardo graduated high school from Jose Abad Santos Memorial School (JASMS), Quezon City. He took his college education from the University of the Philippines Diliman with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. While pursuing his undergraduate studies in UP, he undertook his ministerial studies at the Evangelical College (EVCO), the predecessor of the New Era University- College of Evangelical Ministry. He graduated from UP in 1978, and from EVCO in 1980.[2]

Early years in the ministry

After graduating from EVCO, his first assignment was in the INC's local congregation of Cubao in Quezon City. He was ordained as a minister on May 9, 1980 at the INC house of worship in Tondo, Manila After a brief assignment in the Project 4, Quezon City congregation, he was appointed Assistant Dean of EVCO. He hosted a religious radio program over DZEC and was one of the first panelists on the TV program, "Ang Iglesia Ni Cristo". His administrative capability was further honed as a Coordinator of the Metro Manila Ecclesiastical District (at the present, Metro Manila was divided into six (6) districts) beginning in 1984.[2]

Information and communication technology involvement

He founded the Society of Communicators and Networkers (SCAN) for INC members with a common interest in radio communication. He also began and maintained a popular Bulletin Board System (BBS) and further developed his programming skills. He organized the Data and Network Management (DNM) office, which oversaw the computerization of the entire INC Central Office. He sponsored Internet seminars for ministers in various ecclesiastical districts of the church. In an article "RP marks 7th year on the Internet" in the March 2001 edition of the magazine Computerworld Philippines, Filipino information technology enthusiasts recognized Eduardo Manalo as belonging to the "group of pioneers that brought the nation into the Internet Age".[2][3]

He contributed to the founding of an organization within the INC called The Association of Christians in Information Technology, an organization consisting of INC members in the Information technology field who perform computer-related assistance to the church.[4] This organization was renamed and became the Association of Computer Technologists and Information Volunteers (ACTIV) on 2012.

Deputy Executive Minister (1994-2009)

On May 7, 1994, Eduardo Manalo assumed his responsibility as Deputy Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo after being elected unanimously by the Church Executive Council. As a Deputy Executive Minister, he will be the successor of the Office of the Executive Minister. He was entrusted with the task of registering the INC officially in Rome, Italy, in 1994. In 1996, along with 11 ministers, he joined the then Executive Minister Eraño Manalo in establishing the INC's local congregation in Jerusalem, Israel. In 1997, he also accompanied on establishing the congregation in Athens, Greece.[5]

Over the months of July to August 1998, he conducted a pastoral visitation to Hawaii and the USA in commemoration of the 30th year of the INC in the West. Another major pastoral visitation took place over the months of April to May, 2006, to the local congregations in Europe, Middle East, and Asia.[6]

Administration

Five years (2009-2014) since Eduardo Manalo assumed the office as the church's executive minister on September 7, 2009, INC has ordained 2,740 new ministers with almost 9,000 being trained to become future ministers, opened 220 new local congregations with 191 new extensions being groomed to become local congregations, and 17 ecclesiastical districts.[7] Two main offices (Burlingame, CA, USA; Heathrow, London, UK) and 11 administrative infrastructure projects were inaugurated within five years from the time he assumed his office (2009-2014).[8]

In the Philippines alone, where INC Engineering and Construction Department undertakes the church's construction projects, about 600 worship buildings, each with offices and housing facilities, were dedicated while 51 more were dedicated outside the Philippines from July 2009 to July 2014. 349 more worship buildings are awaiting its completion. The biggest house of worship outside the Philippines can be found in Barcelona, Spain which can accommodate more than 1,000 worshipers at a time. INC bought the property from Jehovah's Witnesses and it was dedicated on July 2012. The most expensive house of worship of the INC can be found in Washington DC. Acquisition and renovations costed more than US$10.6 million. The property includes a school building which was formerly owned by Helen and Constantine Greek Orthodox Church. The house of worship was dedicated on December 2012.

On July 21, 2014, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III and Manalo led the inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria,[9] a 140-hectare tourism zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, where the Philippine Arena is also located. The Philippine Arena, a 55,000-seater multi-purpose structure, touted as the world's largest indoor domed arena (by seating capacity), was constructed for the INC's centennial celebration on July 27, 2014.[10]

On March 14, 2014, after conducting a worship service in Tacloban, Leyte, INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, led the groundbreaking ceremony of EVM Self-Sustainable Community Rehabilitation Project in Sitio New Era, a 3000-hectare property of the church in Brgy. Langit, Alang-alang, Leyte. The project which could costs more than one billion pesos includes at least 1000 housing units for the survivors of super typhoon Haiyan. Garments and dried fish factories, and eco-farming project are also included to provide livelihood to the community. More than 150,000 hunger relief packages were also given which contains 3 kilos of rice, canned goods and instant noodles aside from the free medical and dental services conducted that day.[11] On January 23, 2015, Manalo inaugurated the livelihood and housing project.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Rufo, Aries (September 1, 2009). "No shifts seen when Ka Erdie's son takes over INC". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Joel Pablo Salud (November 5, 2012). "Family Life of Bro. Eduardo Manalo". Philippine Graphic (MAGAZINE) (Makati City, Philippines: T. Anthony C. Cabangon) 23 (23): 27. OCLC 53164818.
  3. ↑ Wong, Chin Wong; Valdez, Melba-Jean "RP marks 7th year on the Internet", Computerworld Philippines, March 26, 2001
  4. ↑ Mangahas, Malou; "A Most Powerful Union", Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, April 29, 2002
  5. ↑ Gemma Minna V. Manalo (October 2009). "A Biographical Account on Bro. Eduardo Manalo". Pasugo: God's Message (MAGAZINE) (Quezon City, Philippines: Iglesia Ni Cristo) 61 (10): 11–14. ISSN 0116-1636.
  6. ↑ Pasugo: God's Message (MAGAZINE) (Quezon City, Philippines: Iglesia Ni Cristo) 61 (9). September 2009. ISSN 0116-1636. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Velez, Freddie (July 28, 2014). "More than 1 million INC members mark centennial". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ Cornelio, Jayeel (July 27, 2014). "INC, Philippine Arena, and religious worlding". Rappler. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. ↑ Archangel, Xianne (July 21, 2014). "PNoy, Ka Eduardo Manalo unveil marker for Ciudad de Victoria". GMA News. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  10. ↑ Donna, Cueto-Ibanez (July 20, 2014). "Iglesia opens world’s largest indoor arena for centennial rites". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ Gabieta, Joey (March 16, 2014). "INC in full force in aid, relief plans in Tacloban". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Iglesia Ni Cristo to inaugurate housing and livelihood projects for Yolanda survivors". Eagle News. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.

External links