The Truth About the INC Property in Scenic, South Dakota and the Keystone XL Pipeline Project

ANSWERING “FALLEN ANGELS”

(“End-Time Antichrists”)

Point-by-point discussion answering those opposing

the Church Administration

part 68

 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE

INC SCENIC PROPERTY

Fallen Angels, when are

you going to stop

telling lies?

THE Fallen Angels through Rovic Canono, a.k.a. “Sher Lock”, recently spread a lie regarding the INC property in Scenic, Sout Dakota that this property is for sale. However, the Resident Minister of Scenic, South Dakota himself, Brother Joe Ventilacion, made a response refuting this allegation. Brother Joe said, as we quote:

“Sher Lock is one of the Devil's cohorts and Satan's agent in spreading misinformation against the Iglesia Ni Cristo, which qualifies him as a pathological liar. He put up this info quoted below on his FB account as BREAKING NEWS. Although he was never here in Scenic nor had set foot in South Dakota…

“May we ask Sher Lock who is the selling agent of the property? From what magazine or real estate ads did he get this information? Or is it just a piece of publicity to portray the Church in a way that it would look bad in the eyes of people? is he now a real estate agent for the Church? Did he get a commission for the sale of the property to be added to the RESTORE THE CHURCH funds?”

What might be the reason why Fallen Angels spread a rumor against the INC Scenic property that this is already for sale? To insist that they are correct in their allegation that this property was bought by the Church for “business purposes.” They claim that the Church anticipated that the property will be crossed through by the “pipeline project” of the US government called “Keystone pipeline project,” thus, the Scenic property will generate billion of dollars. This is what Rovic Canono says:

NMW District Update:

1. Scenic So. Dakota property is for sale for a stiff discount after failed oil pipeline was blocked by Pres. Obama…

Even “Antonio Ebangelista” made a whole article about this. This is an excerpt from his article:

“Therefore, South Dakota is the next BIG BOOM in the Oil Industry so the potential is also very lucrative.

“But aside from the oil industry being a source of income with the acquisition of SCENIC SOUTH DAKOTA, Bro. Jun Santos also saw another potential, that is why the nondisclosure clause had to be included in the deal. They were actually waiting for a double-whammy deal, and here it is…

“The proposed pipeline will pass thru South Dakota… now take a guess which part of South Dakota… Take a wild guess… Shhhhhh! Don’t say it out loud… Remember, this is a hush-hush project and WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS! (thus the nondisclosure agreement).  I can actually see the frowning faces of the Sanggunian right now, and Ka Jun Santos with steam coming out of his nostrils (literally).”

Thus, the Fallen Angels want to make the public believes that the Iglesia Ni Cristo bought the Town of Scenic in South Dakota for “business purpose” or “for money-making scheme” that this land will be crossed by the Keystone pipeline and this will give lucrative income.

Actually, we already answered AE’s article regarding the issue they thrown against INC's purchased of the Scenic property. Do you know that after “Antonio Ebangelista” recovered his articles he published in his previous blog and then he published them again in his new blog, BUT HE DID NOT INCLUDED THIS ARTICLE? We will see the reason why.

THE PURCHASED OF SCENIC, SOUTH DAKOTA

The Iglesia Ni Cristo purchased a whole town in South Dakota, U.S.A. The town of Scenic was once a popular stop for people travelling to Rapid City, but it become a “ghost town”:

“The town of Scenic – once a popular stop for people traveling to Rapid City from the badlands to the east or Pine Ridge Reservation to the south – was recently purchased by an unusual buyer for less than $800,000. The Iglesia ni Cristo church, established in the Philippines in 1914, bought the town and surrounding acreage from longtime resident and area rodeo legend Twila Merrill, who had gathered the land bit by bit over several decades.” [“Why Did a Secretive Filipino Church Buy a South Dakota Ghost Town?” Oct. 10, 2011 7:49am Billy Hallowell, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2011/10/10/why-did-a-secretive-filipino-church-buy-a-south-dakota-ghost-town/]

The Church purchased the property from Twila Merrill Palmer, a rodeo-legend lady, quite a celebrity in her days. The property was purchased from her last July, 2011:

“Merrill, a rancher and rodeo regular, began buying Scenic property in 1963. Olsen said her health began to fail about two years ago, and as cancer took hold, Merrill was forced to put the land – 46 acres in total – on the market.

“It languished for two years with a $3 million price tag. In July, Olsen stepped in and dropped the cost to $799,000. Suddenly, prospective buyers stepped forward from all over the world, said Olsen, estimating that he took more than 500 phone calls and 200 emails about the property. He appeared on television programs in Australia, London, Montreal, Chicago and Atlanta, he said. ‘The offer from the Filipino church was one of several. ‘It was Twila’s decision as to who she chose,’ Olsen said. ‘She seems to be real happy with it.’” [Ibid.]

Before, the price was 3 miliion US dollars. But because of recession, the price dropped to $799,000. Suddenly, prospective buyers stepped forward from all over the world, and the Church was only one of the 500 prospective buyers. However, Olsen, the real state agent, narrated, “It was Twila’s decision as to who she chose. She seems to be real happy with it.”

THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

Is the Keystone Pipleline propject the reason why the Church’s purchased the town of Scenic, South Dakota? Let us first learn what is the Kestone Pipeline project:

“The Keystone Pipeline System is an oil pipeline system in Canada and the United States, commissioned since 2010. It runs from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Texas, and also to oil tank farms and oil pipeline distribution center in Cushing, Oklahoma.” [Wikipedia, s.v. “Kestone Pipeline”]

These project has three phases already completed as of this date. They are:

[1] The Keystone Pipeline (Phase 1), delivering oil from Hardistym Alberta 3,456-kilometre (2,147 mi) ot the junction at Steele City, Nebraska and on to Wood River Refinery in Roxana, Illinois and Petoka Oil Terminal Hub (tank farm) north of Patoka, Illinois, completed in June 2010.

[2] The Keystone-Cushing extension (Phae II), running 480-kilometre (3—mi) from Steele City to storage and distribution  facilities (tank farm) at Cushing, Oklahoma, completed in February 2011.

[3] TheGulf Cosat Extension (Phase III), running 784-kilometre (487 mi) from Cushing to refineries at Port Arthur, Texas was completed in January 2014, and a lateral pipeline to refineries at Houston, Texas and a terminal will be completed in mid-2015.

Phase 1 is from Alberta to Nebraska and from Nebraska to Illinos was completed in June, 2010; Phase 2 is from Nebraska to Oklahoma, completed in February 2011. Phase 3 is from Oklahoma to Texas, completed in mid 2015. Take note that THESE THREE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SCENIC, SOUTH DAKOTA.

THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

Indeed, there is a proposal for the construction of the fourth phase running from Nebraska through Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. This is called Keystone XL Pipeline. But this proposal is highly controversial. The following is a brief history of the Kestone XL Pipeline proposed project:

“A Brief History of the Keystone Pipeline:

“On September 19, 2008, five years ago, when TransCanada first submitted its application to the U.S. State Department to build the Keystone XL pipeline, a $7 billion private infrastructure project that would create thousands of jobs and advance America’s energy security.

In April 2010, when the State Department issued its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which said the pipeline “would result in limited adverse environmental impacts during both construction and operation.”

“In October 2010, when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked about approval of the pipeline in 2010 and she said, "We are inclined to do so”

“Summer 2011, when almost three years had passed since the application and we still didn’t have a pipeline.” [“A Brief History of the Keystone Pipeline” Posted by Tom Fletcher on Thursday, September 19th, 2013, 2:32 PM, http://www.atr.org/brief-history-keystone-pipeline-a7876]

TransCanada submitted its application to build the Keystone Pipeline in September 19, 2008. After two years, still no approval, and only in April 2010 when the State Department issued its Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which said the pipeline “would result in limited adverse environmental impacts during both construction and operation.” In Summer of 2011, three years had passed since the application and STILL NO PIPELINE. Remember that the Church bought the Scenic property last July, 2011 (FYI, “July” is the start of Summer in USA).

THUS, during the time when the Church was negotiating with the agent and the owner of the Town of Scenic, STILL THERE WAS NO APPROVAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE, and instead the project is facing a big problem to be approved because of State Department’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which says the pipeline “would result in limited adverse environmental impacts during both construction and operation.”

PLEASE PONDER THESE POINTS:

(1) Merill, the original owner of Scenic property, hired a well-known real state agent, Olsen. A well-known real state agent like Olsen will surely make an in-depth research and survey on how much should the property be sold. If it is true that Scenic property is a potential “billion dollar maker”, would that information escape Meriyll and his agent, Olsen? Would it be acceptable that a well-known real state agent, Olsen, would not know that this property is a potential “billion dollar maker”?

(2) For three years, Merill offered the Scenic property for 3 million dollars. But, when Olsen step in, he reduced the price to 799,000 US Dollars. If the Scenic property was a potential “billion dollar maker” would Merill and Olsen sell it for only 799,000 US dollars? If it is indeed a potential “billion dollar maker”, Olsen will not dropped the price from 3 million to 799,000. But instead will ask for more or will advise Merill to hold on the property until the Keystone XL pipeline project gain approval from the US government (if there was really a news that Scenic was among the towns that Keystone pipeline will cross through).

(3) The Keystone XL Pipeline project has nothing to do with the purchased of Scenic, South Dakota. This property was purchased by the Iglesia Ni Cristo last July, 2011. In Summer of 2011, three years had passed since the application of the project in the US government, AND STILL NO PIPELINE. Thus, during the time when the Church was negotiating with the agent and the owner of the Town of Scenic, STILL THERE WAS NO APPROVAL FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE, instead the project facing agreat problem because of State Department’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which says the pipeline “would result in limited adverse environmental impacts during both construction and operation.”

(4) Even if the project already attained approval during or even before INC’s purchased of the Scenic property (Summer, 2015), however, the Scenic property would definitely be excluded in the path where the Keystone XL pipeline will cross, because Scenic is the gateway of “Bad Land National Park” and adjacent to a “Native American reservation.”

With these facts in mind, Merill and Olsen reduced trhe price of Scenic property from 3 million to 799,000.

WHY THE CHURCH PURCHASED THE SCENIC PROPERTY?

The present Church Administration, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, is indeed “a man of vision.” Like Brother Felix Y. Manalo and Brother Erano G. Manalo, he saw the purchasing of Scenic property will help in the Church’s future expansion. Today, we can see that the Executive Minister is right in purchasing the Senic property. This is what Brother Joe Ventilacion said in what is really happening today in INC Scenic property:

“For his information and for the others who are interested to know what's happening in Scenic, we are very happy to inform you that we have some Native Americans from the nearest Indian reservation in Pine Ridge who have attended our worship services. We made several follow-up Bible Studies in the reservation. The nearest village of the reservation is just a couple of miles away from Scenic.

“Also, Scenic is a gateway to the Badlands National Park where thousands of tourists from all over the world and the United States are visiting every year. Brethren who would visit MT. RUSHMORE, a national park in South Dakota, with more than 3 million visitors each year, has now a place to go to attend worship services, and we have a lot of brethren who came from other states who worshiped with us last summer. We are currently holding worship services during Thursdays and Sundays at the Scenic Community Hall.

 “Brethren who are truck drivers coming from the East Coast going to the West Coast or vice versa made their stopover in Rapid City and attend worship services here in Scenic. Without a place to worship in South Dakota, they would surely miss the worship services. By having worship services in Scenic, they could fulfill their obligation to worship God and then proceed to their destination, eastward or westward.

“Lastly, we have an Internet connection in Scenic that is why Bro. Fred White and his family have seen in Facebook what Sher Lock's concocted lies were posted against the Church. He made a fabricated scenario here in Scenic, portraying it as a ghost town. Scenic is no longer a ghost town but a beautiful place to live and work from the time the Church purchased the place for future expansions. We have brethren from other states who visited the place and have signified their intention of moving to Scenic someday.

Fallen Angels are indeed pathological liars that will not stop spreading lies to discredit the Church Administration. Be on guard brethren.