Palace lauds ‘non-political’ Iglesia ni Cristo event

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

Malacañang on Wednesday lauded the leaders and members of the Iglesia ni Cristo after its grand evangelical mission at the Quirino Grandstand on Tuesday remained, as President Aquino’s political adviser called it, “a purely evangelical event devoid of political color.”

The event was portrayed by certain sectors, including some sources in the INC, as an expression of the religious group’s displeasure with President Aquino.

“It is very unfortunate that some quarters are trying to ascribe political color to this Bible Exposition where hundreds of thousand of INC members gathered last Monday,” Secretary Ronald Llamas said in a statement.

“I certainly did not see it as some sort of a ‘show of force’ by the INC. I am convinced that the INC members who went to the huge rally did so out of genuine religious conviction, not for anything else,” he added.

The gathering was huge with police estimating the crowd that gathered at 600,000. The event also caused severe traffic congestion some areas in Metro Manila.

Secretary Edwin Lacierda, President Benigno Aquino III’s spokesperson, said it was uncalled for to ascribe politics to the INC event.