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35,000 Negrenses join INC peace rally, call impeachment versus Sara divisive

The Iglesia ni Cristo  rally at the Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City on Monday.*Jose Antonio Robello photo

About 35,000 members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in Negros Island gathered at the Capitol Park and Lagoon in Bacolod City on Monday, Jan. 13, for the INC national rally for peace.

Bro. Randy Samson, INC Bacolod district supervising minister, in his speech said they support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s position against an impeachment move versus Vice President Sara Duterte.

He said the INC’s desire is for the peace and the well-being of the country, and an impeachment would be divisive for the nation.

Instead of wasting their time on an impeachment, the country’s legislators should focus their energies on addressing the problems plaguing the Filipino people, Samson said.

They should focus on the needs of the nation such as education, infrastructure, and health services, he added.

Self-interests and personal ambition should be set aside for the good of the Filipino people, Samson said.

The INC members gathered at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila and 12 other sites nationwide, including Bacolod City.

The police estimated the crowd at the Quirino Grandstand at 1.58 million.

The Bacolod crowd for most of the day listened to speeches at the Quirino Grandstand that were beamed on a wide screen at the Capitol Park.

The Negros INC members clad in white carried placards that read “Peace for the Philippines” and “INC for Unity”.

Former Overseas Filipino Worker Criselda Barrientos from Barangay Estefania, Bacolod, said she joined the rally “to support Inday Sara and for peace in the country.”

“We need to unite for peace and help each other for the good of the nation,” INC member Gaudencio Lamis of Barangay Tangub said.

The INC rally caused heavy traffic at the Capitol area and Lacson Street in Bacolod for most of Monday, and parking spaces were fully occupied.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson ordered the suspension of work at all Capitol-based provincial government offices in Bacolod City Monday afternoon.

The temporary closure of roads that started at 6 a.m. was lifted at 6 p.m. when the rally ended, Jose Antonio Robello, Bacolod Traffic and Transportation Management Department deputy, said.

Closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday were the North and South Capitol roads, Lacson Street from Cottage Road to 15th Street, and a portion of 6th Street.

Bacolod City Police Director, Col Joeresty Coronica, estimated the Bacolod crowd at 35,000 at 4 p.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, Bayan Chairperson and former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, in a press statement, said , “the Iglesia ni Cristo has labeled their activity a ‘Rally for Peace’. But there can be no peace without justice. And true justice demands accountability, especially from those who abuse their power and oppress the people”.

“Let us be reminded that the impeachment complaints against VP Duterte and the investigations by Congress and the International Criminal Court (ICC) on former president Duterte are proper ways to hold them accountable for their wrongdoings. They are not meant to sow chaos or destabilize the nation. They are meant to protect the public from corruption, tyranny and impunity, which are among the very reasons why there is no peace in this country,” he said.*

#BayanMunaHindiIilan*

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