Only 8 senatorial bets on INC sample ballots
The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) appears to have endorsed eight senatorial candidates from different political parties, based on copies of sample ballots obtained by the Inquirer.
The sample ballots were distributed to INC members on Thursday and Friday by the local congregations in the northern Luzon cities of Baguio, San Fernando and Tuguegarao, and in Manila and Quezon City.
They contained the names of the candidates, all of whom except one were leading in the final preelection surveys conducted by major pollsters.
Mixed, with 1 surprise
The eight include three from President Marcos’ Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas: reelectionists Bong Revilla and Pia Cayetano, and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, the last also endorsed by Vice President Sara Duterte.
INC is also backing three from the “DuterTEN” slate of former President Rodrigo Duterte: reelectionists Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Bong Go, and INC member and incumbent Sagip Rep. Rodante Marcoleta.
The religious group, which has an estimated 2.8 million members and is touted to vote as a bloc, is also endorsing Sen. Imee Marcos, who earlier left her brother’s Alyansa ticket but later earned the express support of the Vice President.
Incomplete slate
In a move that surprised many, INC included opposition candidate Bam Aquino, who left the Liberal Party last year and is now running under the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino.
In previous endorsements, INC usually backed a full slate of 12 senatorial candidates, majority of them from the administration party.
As of Friday, only Go, Revilla and Dela Rosa have confirmed that they received INC’s endorsement, according to a report on the Iglesia-run NET25.
Of the eight who were endorsed, only Marcoleta and Aquino were not in the so-called Magic 12 or most likely winners based on the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Thursday.
Pulse Asia’s latest senatorial preference survey published on Tuesday placed Aquino in the 11th to 18th rank, while Marcoleta and Imee Marcos were in the 14th to 18th spot.
Some senatorial candidates who received an INC endorsement in past elections didn’t get it this time.
Among them are Francis Tolentino (who was endorsed in the 2016 and 2019 elections), Manny Pacquiao (2016), Lito Lapid (2019), Tito Sotto (2016), and Panfilo Lacson (2016). All of them are in the Alyansa lineup.
Election advisory
While the church does not usually announce its list of preferred national and local candidates, it does issue an “election advisory” to its members across the country. INC officials have referred to this in the past as “tagubilin,” or private reminder. For the 2022 elections, INC confirmed its endorsement through a broadcast on its media networks, particularly on the NET25 TV station.
In a message to the Inquirer, INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the list of senators their church would be backing “should not be disclosed to those not members of [the] Iglesia.”
He noted that there was still no official endorsement from the church’s higher-ups as of Thursday night.
INC’s fragmented support for senatorial candidates was a result of the bitter breakup of the “Uniteam” of Mr. Marcos and Sara Duterte, who were both endorsed by the Christian megachurch in the 2022 elections.
