Due Process

Jennifer Lopez is a contestant in a beauty pageant that disqualifies anyone who has had certain cosmetic surgeries like liposuction, butt implants, and breast augmentation.

Fellow contestant Kim Kardashian files a complaint claiming that Ms. Lopez had one of those surgeries in the past.

Lopez protests and says Kardashian has no evidence, claiming that they were together on the day the alleged surgery happened; that a Starbucks receipt and an Instagram photo of that day will disprove the accusation.

Did the surgery really happen? How will Kardashian prove this?

Are the receipt and the Instagram photo claimed to have been gotten on the alleged day of the surgery enough to disprove Kardashian's claims?

What is the proper venue and process to clear Lopez's name?

Should Lopez's fans solely rely on her statement or should they take the investigation as a systematized opportunity to legally clear her name?

Whether in the US or in the Philippines, or at just about any developed country, there is an existing legal process to determine the truth. By law, anyone filing a criminal complaint before an appropriate venue (see Dismissed minister files illegal detention raps vs. Iglesia execs at DOJ) is merely exercising his civil right, a right that is inalienable and of which is one of the reasons why there is a Separation of the Church and State in the Constitution. If you raped me, stole from our organization, even if you are a Catholic bishop or the President of the Philippines, the fact that a criminal charge is brought against you is enough for the proper authority to start setting the wheels of justice in motion. No one wants the influence of power, spiritual belief, or wealth to blur the road to finding what the truth is especially where laws governing all the people of the land are concerned. An investigation is launched. A gathering and presentation of evidence happens. Hearings to determine the sides of both parties are held. A ruling is made.

This is how it is done. This is due process. Preventing this from happening results to injustice for both parties, especially for the accused who has an equally inalienable right to a fair and proper trial in the goal to clear his name.

EDSA Carmageddon as a direct result of a massive unannounced Iglesia Ni Cristo rally.
Photo from Top Gear Philippines.