INC rally shows group remains a ‘formidable political force’
The recent two-day rally for transparency held by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), which drew a smaller crowd compared to its peace rally in January, showed that the religious group is “still a formidable political force in society” even as it made an effort to be “as apolitical as they could.”
“Whether it’s a drop of a million to 600,000, no [mobilization is] as organized and as massive as the Iglesia Ni Cristo and that is the political statement,” said Ranjit Rye, a University of the Philippines (UP) political science professor.
Posture of restraint
He noted that the INC “recalibrated their message” in the Nov. 16 to Nov. 17 gathering and “there was a conscious effort to separate the pro-Duterte group from their own rally.”
“There’s an assumption that the INC and Duterte are together, so I think the recalibration is very important because it emphasizes that they’re not a monolithic structure,” Rye said.
He observed that INC ministers “articulated a posture of restraint,” focusing on “common themes” of transparency and accountability while avoiding calls for destabilization or support for specific public officials.
Moreover, Duterte supporters were blocked from joining the protest, as the INC objected to the calls for President Marcos to resign and wanted to keep the gathering free of any “political color.”
The INC earlier decided to end the three-day rally on Monday, instead of Tuesday, with INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala saying they had achieved their goal of highlighting their call for transparency and accountability amid allegations of corruption in government.
At its peak, the attendees numbered 600,000 on Monday, according to the Manila police. The rally ended at 8 p.m. with 550,000 participants.
