The nationwide Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) peace rally on Monday, January 13, brings me back to my first month as a Rappler reporter nearly 13 years ago.

On February 28, 2012, I was assigned to cover the INC’s Grand Evangelical Mission and Bible Exposition at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, an iconic venue for presidential inaugurations and other massive gatherings in the nation’s capital. 

The INC denied there was anything political about the event, but it took place in the middle of the impeachment trial of then-chief justice Renato Corona, who was accused of failing to disclose up to $3.8 million in assets. The trial began on January 16, 2012, and ended with his conviction and removal from office on May 29, 2012. 

Corona’s lead counsel was the late Serafin Cuevas, a prominent member of the INC. Other church members also supported Corona, who was a Roman Catholic.

Corona’s impeachment was one of the first big power moves by then-president Benigno Aquino III, and to oppose the Corona trial was to oppose the chief executive.

The impeachment trial happened at a time when Aquino, whom the INC had endorsed in the 2010 presidential election, was falling out of grace among INC members.

While Aquino pushed for the prosecution of Cuevas’ client Corona, he also sacked National Bureau of Investigation chief Magtanggol Gatdula over an alleged kidnapping and extortion attempt. Gatdula is a known member of the INC. 

Aquino, at that time, was perceived to have distanced himself from religious leaders, even those from the Catholic Church who had long been friends with the Aquino family, especially his mother.

The INC, however, was careful not to directly attack Aquino in the 2012 event. 

The event “had no explicit political references but included speeches citing disobedience to or non-allegiance with INC, as well as genuine leadership,” I wrote back then. 

I still remember how eagerly I anticipated political fireworks in the event, only for my attention to drift away, Bible quote after Bible quote. 

Hungry and thirsty as the event ran from 5 to 6:30 pm on a Tuesday, I was standing on a monobloc chair in a grassy area, holding up my tripod where my iPhone 4 was mounted. Then I heard a quote and realized it was perhaps a message to the President. 

“Ang gusto ng Diyos, nakasulat sa Bibliya: matipon ang tao at pailalim sa isang Pangulo – ang ating Panginoong Hesukristo,” an INC preacher declared. (This is what God wants, according to the Bible: to gather all people and place them under one Head  – our Lord Jesus Christ.)

Despite the INC’s claim it was apolitical, we ended up reporting the event of around 100,000 people at Quirino Grandstand for what it was: a covert show of support of Corona and a flex of political muscles by this Christian church. 

Why?

First, we need to understand that there are few coincidences in politics — and the same is true when it comes to religion, which thrives on the power of symbols. 

Second, we need to acknowledge that the INC — a small minority of 2.8 million members as compared with the 85.65 members of the Catholic Church — draws much of its strength from politics. 

It is, in many ways, more political than the Catholic Church, because they vote as a bloc every election. Politicians give them favors in return, such as plum positions for INC members. It’s one of the reasons why INC has grown into a religious powerhouse, a far cry from its earlier years when this century-old church was derided as a cult.

So when the INC stages a massive gathering while the nation faces political unrest, the church is sending a message. 

But rarely does the INC directly address politicians or show in these rallies that they are taking sides. It is, more often than not, couched in a motherhood statement like “peace.” Or hidden in a play of words, the way it is done by those who study scripture.

Don’t pay attention too much to the words. Rather, look at the throngs of people.

Pro-Marcos or pro-Duterte?

The INC’s National Rally for Peace on January 13 is déjà vu for me, because it is also happening at the Quirino Grandstand and is connected to impeachment.

In the case of this rally, the church is not protesting against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. or Vice President Sara Duterte, both of whom they supported in the 2022 elections. Rather, it claims it “supports” Marcos in, uhm, opposing the impeachment of his former ally Duterte. 

But the impeachment complaints against Duterte are pushed by Marcos allies. So is the INC pro-Marcos or pro-Duterte? Your guess is as good as mine.

But why can’t they be pointblank about supporting Duterte?

The INC, hedging its bets to safeguard its future, finds the need to project a nonpartisan image in the Marcos-Duterte feud.

The INC is known for shifting alliances wherever it is more convenient.

Remember how, in 2010, the INC first endorsed Manuel Villar Jr. for president, then switched to Aquino a few days before elections when the latter was already leading presidential surveys?

In 2014, even if Aquino was already getting on their nerves, they still invited him to the church’s pre-centennial event inaugurating the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. 

(Ah, but true to form, Aquino couldn’t help but hit critical “fellow Christians” during the INC event, a veiled reference that surely included INC members. It’s the same president, after all, who slammed former vice president Noli de Castro during the 25th anniversary event of TV Patrol.)

While the INC has always hesitated to name names in their rallies, I remember one exception: the five-day INC rally from August 27 to 31, 2015, that was first held outside the Department of Justice then moved to EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard.

The 2015 rally was against alleged political persecution under then-justice secretary Leila de Lima. I remember their chants against De Lima at EDSA: “Why, why, why, De Lima?” They even sang a “Happy Birthday” song for De Lima, whose birthday was the first day of the rally, in a mocking tone. 

I believe that was an exception because the INC was in the middle of an existential crisis back then, with a Manalo family feud exposing divisions within the church. There was no room for “impartiality” when the church’s survival was at stake. 

I remember covering this five-day rally every day, even past midnight. 

I was with other journalists who had not witnessed anything like this since EDSA 3, a mobilization in May 2001 that involved INC members and sought to topple the government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

(The post-script was, De Lima ran for senator and won in the 2016 elections. So one wonders, since the INC campaigned hard against her, is the INC vote for real, or is it a myth? Experts have long observed that the INC endorses bets who are already front runners, and only around three-fourths of members heed their leaders’ advice. But that’s another story.)

Other than the 2015 rally, the INC has always made its political presence felt not through direct speech, but through warm bodies. 

In their peace rally on January 13, the message is clear: they’re ready to come out for Sara Duterte… until the next shift in political winds. – Rappler.com

The Wide Shot is a Sunday column on religion and public life. If you have suggested topics or feedback, let us know in the faith chat room of the Rappler Communities app.