‘Show of force’: 1.8M join INC peace rally
Christian sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) has flexed its muscles, mustering a mammoth crowd of almost 2 million for its peace rally on Monday, and an apparent forewarning of what numbers the religious group could gather for those seeking posts in the upcoming midterm elections.
The INC had maintained that there was nothing political about its “National Rally for Peace,” but more than a dozen politicians, most of them running for national and local posts, joined the event at Quirino Grandstand in Manila.
Police, in a briefing on Monday afternoon, estimated that around 1.8 million INC members joined the rally held in different venues in major cities across the country.
Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, outgoing PNP spokesperson, said the bulk of the crowd, estimated at 1.58 million, attended the rally at the main venue in Manila.
She described the rally as “peaceful,” noting that people started leaving Quirino Grandstand at 5 p.m. on Monday. There were “no untoward incidents” reported.
INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the peace rally was not a political power play but a “very practical” and “moral” call to government officials.
“Let’s forgive each other and be united so that we can achieve peace. It takes a lot of work, but if we’re all willing to go back to those basic principles, decency in our relationship with each other, and peace in our relationship with each other, hopefully things are going to get better,” he told reporters.
“We are like a broken record here calling for peace and unity. But that’s what the people are clamoring for, even the nonmembers of the INC,” Zabala added.
The INC leadership has repeatedly said that peace and unity were urgently needed in the country to address more pressing issues, such as the rising cost of basic goods.
The event was organized by the INC purportedly to express their support for the position of President Marcos opposing the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, following her bitter breakup with the administration.
In messages by its ministers to its members, the INC quoted a number of times the President’s remarks in not supporting the impeachment against Duterte.
The President, in December, said: “What will happen if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time and for what? For nothing, for nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a storm in a teacup.”
Despite Mr. Marcos’ appeal, three impeachment complaints had since been filed against Duterte, all of which were related to alleged fund misuse in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she used to head.
According to Zabala, the INC rally was “basically in support of what the President himself said.”
“When he was interviewed, no one was asking whether what he was saying was a political statement. People took what he said at face value. So we’re hoping that in echoing what he himself said, people will also accept it at face value,” he said.
INC members, however, are told to “refrain from shouting or mentioning names of politicians,” as the rallies should not favor or oppose any individual, and instead should focus on unity and peace.
‘Clarity, consensus’
Malacañang on Monday appeared to dispel insinuations that the nationwide rally was intended to show the influential Christian sect’s displeasure with the Marcos administration.
“We view [Monday’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,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.
Senators allied with the Marcos administration did not see anything wrong with the INC’s decision to gather its flock.
“A prayer rally for peace and unity in the country, I believe, is non-debatable. Who wouldn’t want that?” Senate President Francis Escudero said in a Viber message.
Escudero, who said the INC had asked him for a brief video message, stressed that it was not productive to put malice on “a much needed call for peace and unity in our country.”
VP thankful
While the INC had clarified that the rally was not organized to support any politician, Vice President Duterte was thankful as she believed it was a “powerful” display of might among the Christian sect members’ “unity and faith” for the benefit of the country.
“This is a powerful display of unity and faith that what we desire is peace for the sake of our country,” Duterte said in a video message in Filipino on Monday.
“As we face the rising prices of goods, poverty and other problems, a united and peaceful Philippines will not be deterred and will continue to brave all challenges,” she added.
Among those who showed up in the rally were reelectionist Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go, who are close allies of the family of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Francis Tolentino, who says he still supports the former President despite aligning himself with President Marcos.
The three sidestepped questions whether their presence in the rally signified their support against the impeachment of the Vice President, should the impeachment gain the backing of the House of Representatives and the Senate convenes as an impeachment court.
But Sen. Robin Padilla, who also attended the event, was straightforward.
“I will definitely vote against the impeachment of [the Vice President]. As early as now, I am informing you of my vote,” he told reporters.
Dela Rosa said his appearance did not mean he was wooing to get the endorsement of INC.
“I came here because I am united with the cause of our brothers and sisters from INC. That’s coming from my heart,” he said.
Zabala said the INC did not invite politicians to attend their event, but it is open to everyone who believes in their cause.
Three months before the May 12, 2025, elections, Zabala said the INC has not yet backed the candidacy of any of the candidates. He noted that technically “the INC has never endorsed anyone.”
“When we unite to vote, us INC members are just the ones who talk among each other. We don’t really involve those outside the INC,” he added.
Mobilizing during crisis
Sought for comment, Manuel Quezon III said “The INC enjoys what the Archdiocese of Manila, before it was reduced in size, used to enjoy politically: a base to mobilize effectively in a political crisis. In the showdown people attributed between the first lady and Vic Rodriguez, the INC was considered to have taken the side of Rodriguez as shown by statements of INC media stalwarts like Tunying (broadcaster Anthony Taberna Jr.).”
“On the surface, the pressure from the INC can be seen as a last-ditch effort to preserve the Unity Team, but also as a defense for the embattled camp of the Vice President and her father. It is also flexing of the muscles ahead of the midterm election where it must be seen to play a strategic role in the outcome of the senatorial elections,” said Quezon, who writes a column for the Inquirer.
But University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Franco believes the rally will benefit neither Mr. Marcos nor Duterte, pointing out that it would not overturn the dwindling survey numbers of the former political allies.
Franco said the nationwide rally by the INC was a message to politicians that they are “still a force to reckon with.”
“Secondly, of course, the timing is perfect, months into the election. But then, to my mind, Iglesia ni Cristo is relevant in the elections when it’s a tight race,” she told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives—especially those seeking reelection in tight races and those not vocal with their criticisms against the Vice President—“might probably” reconsider their support for Duterte’s impeachment, according to Franco. —WITH REPORTS FROM MARLON RAMOS, FRANCES MANGOSING AND DEMPSEY REYES
