GCSDA Loses BIG Trademark Case in the Philippines

This is the edited vesion of what I wrote to Pastor C. before as he showed me an online Philippine Supreme Court Decision:


You're right, that is the Court's decision in our favor. It's quite difficult to understand at once the decision because it has tremendous legal battles before this and there were so many legal loopholes and opportunities that came on both sides. I will state the story to the best that I can relate ( the dates may not be exact).

First, The SDA Bayugan Church ( where I belong ) separated from the main body sometimes in the 1980's concerning, at first, tithes issues ( It's a long story). Then, probably, with the idea to stop this so called "rebellious church", the main body burned to ashes the church building along with a church school annexed to it and with the intent to kill the people upstairs. We have pictures to the burned building, you can verify with our national secretary, Pastor Miguel Yanguas at Davao City (can be contacted at the Celphone no. of his wife: 639192694929) or with our national president, Pastor Eduardo Labadan with address: Phase 3A, Villa Paraiso, Ampayon, Butuan City, Philippines ( Can be contacted at celphone no. 639184181721). All the documents our org. possessed are in their hands. On how did we know that the main body burned our church building is another long story. But the main body did not stop, their leaders sued us in court for many accusations, all did not prosper long in court except for the one you read. It was about the lot of the church the main body would like to take by virtue of their title in the name SDA Church of Northeastern Mindanao Mission, applied by one of their ministers. We lost the court battles from Municipal court, regional trial court, up to the appelate court. Our last hope then was the Philippine Suprememe Court. This court will decide with finality and no more appeal can be made. Our so called legal expert ( not even a lawyer but knowledgeable in laws), studied this. We pray for God's guidance and asked His intervention every now and then. Looking at the impossibility of winning at the highest court of the land, a legal loophole was found by Pastor Miguel Yanguas. The name in the title acquired by the main body was not registered at the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission. We applied for it and we got the name in three days just enough to meet the deadline for our papers to be submitted to the Supreme court. I was one of those who labored the whole day and night encoding, editing, preparing and making the necessary papers sometimes in 2001 ( if right).

So the SDA Bayugan Church then has the name under the Securities and Exchange Commission as SDA Church of Northeastern Mindanao Mission, Inc so that we can have a winning streak at the Supreme Court. The court as you can read awarded the lot to this name. It is in our favor then. But we are not yet through. In order to take that title from their hands we must make legal maneuvers. But then, it is sure, the lot is given back to our church. God, with His marvelous works, blinded the best lawyers the main body has with its powerful and influential legal division for more than 10 years ( I think 15 years) in court battles. How could that no registration unnoticed for many years? How could the virtually no lawyer, destitute and weary organization ( We have no member that has a law degree up to now.) can see that biggest blunder the main body made.

Pastor C., it is really our biggest gift from God this year. And we will keep on telling this story to the world how God loves our church.

Well, here in the Philippines, we have the opposite, as to what happened to the SDA Gen. Conference and to other SDA groups in the U.S.A. That is another blunder the main body made in the 1990's. Thus, we have the upper hand legally when it comes to the name SDA. But we do not persecute people or group of people. They are free to use that name, no problem to us. We believe that though there are hundreds of people or groups with the same name, they are of different personalities. Only in name they become the same. We stand to this principle. We also do not like going to court unless there is necessity to defend our church members or churches, but it is for defense purposes.

At present, we have radio programs, lay workers in the field shouting to the whole nation the Last Message of Mercy, particularly the Third Angel's Message to both SDA's in the main body and to non SDA's. We have but more or less 5,000 members nationwide with no formal affiliation to any religious group. We are holding national convention every year, during april, and many regional and district fellowships aroud the country. We still have lots of places to go where no layman of ours had reached. We do this step by step, little by little as we also think of our meager resources.

Personally, I am not a pastor. I am simply an unordained worker, helping our workers in the field thru whatever I can help. I provided them my researches, documents I can get from the internet, including from your websites, to supply them of the necessary knowledge, documents, etc. So far, that's all what I was able to do. The organization appointed me as researcher and lesson chairman. They also put me as one of the board members. All are in voluntary basis, thus, no salary or any financial support can be expected. This responsibility is really big for me, but I did try since 2004 up to the present. I am working as a college math teacher, where my provision comes from.

Our Pastors and workers, well they have but the meager income of the churches thru tithes and offerings from our poor members ( really, small people in the society except for those few).

Well, I hope you got the real picture now of the legal case and of our church. Just feel free to ask anything you would like to know from our organization.


Your brother in Christ,

Job