INC rally won’t influence probe vs Sara, says DOJ

Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo wave the sect’s banner, with its colors representing faith, hope and love, as they gather at Luneta for their “National Rally for Peace” amid the political tensions in the country. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) peace rally that drew almost 2 million people in support of President Marcos’ opposition to moves to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte would not influence the government’s ongoing investigation against her, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday.

“We just have to look at the law as something that equalizes everything between all of us, that’s why we cannot give special favors to people because of standing,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters who asked him if the INC’s apparent show of force had placed extra pressure on his department.

“I’m not concerned about that because it’s their freedom to express themselves and we respect that freedom. We regard that freedom zealously,” Remulla said of the peace rally.

Unchanged

Duterte is under investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation after she said in an online press conference in November that there was a slay plot against her and should it succeed, she had already talked to someone about killing President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Remulla said the NBI would “be submitting their report to us very soon.”

In Malacañang, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said there was no change in the President’s position not to support moves to oust his former “Uniteam” running mate following the INC rally.

“The President’s position on the impeachment moves in the [House of Representatives] has not changed,” he told Palace reporters in a message on Tuesday. The religious group had supported the political tandem in the May 2022 national elections.

Bersamin earlier said the Palace considered the INC gathering as part of a national conversation “to bring clarity and consensus” on pressing issues, including efforts to impeach Duterte.

He added that peaceful assemblies were “a bedrock right” under the Constitution.

“We view today’s assemblies as part of the national conversation we should be having as a people to bring clarity and consensus on issues that face us all and affect our future,” Bersamin said.

INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the peace rally was not a political power play but “a very practical” and “moral” call for unity and forgiveness among government officials.

Duterte, meanwhile, called the gathering a “powerful display of unity and faith that what we desire is peace for the sake of our country.”