Iglesia ni Cristo rallies also held in provinces

POWER OF RELIGION Hundreds of thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo members gather at Manila’s Quirino Grandstand for Tuesday’s grand prayer rally. Richard Reyes

Tens of thousands of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members also converged in the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and Bacolod, San Jose town in Tarlac, Ilagan town in Isabela, and Pili town in Camarines Sur, for the Grand Evangelical Mission which was held simultaneously with the Luneta event.

Rains did not stop members from massing at Tionko Football Field near the old Davao Agro Foundation School in Davao City to listen to INC leaders.

Ramil Culot, an INC member, said over 150,000 were expected to come from Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao del Sur. In Cagayan de Oro, thousands were gathered at Limketkai parking lot.

In Cebu, hundreds of members arrived at Fuente Osmeña Circle on buses, jeepneys and other vehicles. Meanwhile in Bacolod, police placed the size of the crowd at Paglaum Sports Complex at 60,000.

Chief Inspector Luisito Acebuche, Bacolod police traffic chief, said 2,000 vehicles ferrying the participants slowed traffic along the major streets of Lacson and Hernaez.

At least 35,000 members from the Bicol provinces gathered at the Camarines Sur Sports Complex in Barangay San Jose village, Pili, said Senior Superintendent Procopio Lipana, acting provincial police chief.

In Tarlac, thousands of members from central and northern Luzon met at the Tarlac Sports Complex in San Jose. Police reported heavy traffic in Tarlac City and in routes leading to the event site starting at noon.

In Isabela, police said 20,000 INC members joined the event at the Isabela Sports Complex in the capital town of Ilagan.

Classes were dismissed early and evening classes were suspended to allow students to go home in anticipation of the traffic congestion in Tarlac. With reports from Germelina Lacorte and Cai Panlilio, Inquirer Mindanao; Irene R. Sino-Cruz and Carla P. Gomez, Inquirer Visayas; Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon; Jo Martinez-Clemente and Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon; and Villamor Visaya, Inquirer Northern Luzon