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Essay / The Iglesia Ni Cristo: separation of religion and state?
As religious organizations are tax-exempt in the Philippines, the INC can acquire assets and properties with its funds without being subject to the government. An example of the cult's properties is the Philippine Arena, the largest indoor stadium in the world. Located in Victoria, Bulacan, the 55,000-seat dome is one of the church's most notable and expensive projects, costing over $213 million (P9.4 billion) to construct ( Newcomb, 2011). In addition, INC has educational institutions such as New Era University, a private center of higher learning based in Bulacan. Their media wing, Eagle Broadcasting Corporation, broadcasts free news and information on Church activities. The group also purchased a small town in South Dakota for $700,000 (P34.9 million) in 2011 (ABS-CBN, 2015b). Other notable properties include a luxury apartment tower in Bonifacio Global City that was sold for a billion pesos and two private jets; a Boeing 737-700 worth over 3.6 billion pesos and an Airbus A330-200 worth 10.3 billion pesos (Hofileña, 2015 & Hofileña and Santos,