Uncooperative weather and the ‘unwanted’ presence of police rankled the first leg of the three-day rally of Christian sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) at Quirino Grandstand on Sunday, organized to protest what they said was a lack of transparency in the anti-corruption investigation.
INC officials, citing the peaceful nature of their protest, also raised concern over the presence of armed police inside the ‘perimeter’ of the rally – that is, within the Quirino Grandstand.
Despite these hitches, the grounds of the grandstand and Luneta Park became a sea of white, with participants wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the words ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability.’
The INC crowd reached 650,000 during the program proper, according to the Manila Public Information Office.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, the highest-ranking INC elective official in the country, also served as the keynote speaker during the event’s program proper.
Marcoleta reiterated his grievances over delays in the enrollment of contractor couple Cezarah and Pacifico Discaya into the government’s witness protection program.
‘Some took the initiative, even though they knew that it would be a sacrifice because their lives would be in danger,’ Marcoleta said in his speech. ‘I am referring to the Discaya couple.’
Companies founded by the Discayas secured P31-billion worth of government flood control contracts under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2022 to 2025, according to records obtained by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
Mr. Discaya also accused 17 personalities of allegedly soliciting money from them after they won a government project bid.
Marcoleta also defended the credibility of retired marine official Orly Guteza, who served as a former security aide to former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co.
Introduced by Marcoleta during the hearing, Guteza claimed that he delivered suitcases of cash to the homes of former lawmaker Zaldy Co. and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez in his sworn testimony. Both lawmakers vehemently denied this.
However, Co later said in his social media address that he and his staff ‘personally delivered’ suitcases of money to Romualdez’s residences and to Malacañang, adding that there were ‘receipts, evidence and names’ tied to the transactions.
Suitcases became the symbol of this major corruption scandal, and one INC member caught the attention of other protesters for bringing a suitcase to the rally, in apparent reference to its role in laundering bundles of cash.
Aside from such gestures, INC protesters also brought placards airing their frustrations with the outcome, or lack thereof, of the ongoing corruption probe.
Police General Anthony Aberin, regional director of the National Capital Region Police Office, ordered police to stay outside the rally’s perimeter.
Aberin denied having ordered police presence within the area, adding that their presence appeared unintentional.
‘I did not give such an order; I, myself, am an Iglesia ni Cristo,’ Aberin said in an interview with INC-owned network Net 25.
He added that the police are exercising maximum tolerance regarding such protest actions.
Ahead of the INC rally, which ends Tuesday, police personnel also installed barricades topped with razor wire on main roads leading to Malacañang Palace, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was monitoring the situation.
Vice President Sara Duterte said Marcos should be jailed over the flood control anomalies, insisting on the role he played in signing the annual budget despite such questions.
Marcos’ camp took exception to Duterte’s remarks, saying that corruption in the DPWH was also rampant during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president’s father.
The INC, known for voting as a bloc that politicians eagerly woo during elections, endorsed the Marcos-Duterte tandem in the 2022 elections.