Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo stage their protest near Edsa shrine on the corner of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue, causing debilitating traffic on the major thoroughfare on a Friday night. REM ZAMORA/INQUIRER PHOTO
Iglesia ni Cristo has apologized to the public for causing traffic congestion on Edsa on Friday night but at the same time appealed for understanding for their mass action.
“Pasensiya. Siguro bago kami hingan ng paghingi ng patawad, hiningan ba nila nitong mga nagagalit dito ng paumanhin?” INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said in an interview on Saturday.
The religious protest by the INC continued for the third day on Saturday after some of its members moved from the Department of Justice compound in Manila to the Edsa-Ortigas-Shaw area on Friday afternoon.
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“Hiningan din ba nila ng [apology] ang nag-organize ng Edsa 1 at 2? … Kung totoo nga galit sila, although wala naman maglalakas loob na magsasabi noon … Kami kung hindi nagreklamo noon sa ibang rallies, inunawa namin ’yung mga maraming pangyayari na may gumamit ng kalsada, siguro kami naman ang humihiling unawain niyo naman kami,” Zabala said.
Edsa is the site of several huge protests in the past, two of which unseated presidents—Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Estrada, now Manila mayor, in 2001.
Zabala said they chose to move to Edsa because they were being ignored at DOJ.
“‘Legit’ naman ang aming grievance. Hindi naman namin titirhan itong lugar na ’to. Aalis din naman kami at may permit naman kami. Baka pwede for a few days unawain niyo naman kami ngayon,” he said.
The INC was granted a permit to protest until Sunday.
Netizens took to social media to vent their anger on the protest as it worsened the usual heavy traffic flow on a Friday, which was also a pay day and a start of a long weekend.
READ: MMDA braces for Iglesia ni Cristo protest, lists alternate routes
“Pasensya na sa commuters. Ayaw namin ng ganito but we felt compelled we needed to do this kasi di kami pinapansin at sa halip na umaksyon sa sinasabi namin, insult was added to the injury,” Zabala said.
The INC is protesting what they allege to be meddling in their church’s internal affairs after Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered an investigation on the illegal detention case filed by expelled INC minister Isaias Samson against some of the leaders of the religious organization.
Samson claimed he was accused to be behind a blog exposing alleged corruption in the INC.
Zabala also hit De Lima for not giving the same attention to the case of the 44 Special Action Force troopers—two of which were INC members—killed during an operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in January.
“Isa pa sinasabi sa kanya noon pang una. Since meron ka palang panahon at malaki pala interest mo sa INC, pansinin mo na rin ang problema ng dalawang myembro namin. We’re referring to the two members of the SAF who are among the 44 na napatay na ilang buwan na lumipas, lumaktaw na pala sa deadline hanggang ngayon wala pa,” he said.
The spokesperson shunned criticisms that the protest was a show of force of their estimated two million members. Presidential candidates have asked for the group’s endorsement in the past as they are known to practice bloc voting. The next elections will be held in May.
READ: Expelled INC minister’s lawyer says bloc voting may be no more
“We have never abused an assembly … We have never abused that right given to all citizens to peacefully assemble to seek redress for their grievances. Never we have used that in order to show any potential candidate for any public office … ‘Pansinin mo kami.’ Never. So yung mga nagsasabi niyan pinipilit nilang gawing mababaw ang INC sa inaakalang mababaw ang mga myembro. Naiintindihan namin kung bakit kami nandito, kami ang nakakaramdam ng panggigipit,” he said. Frances Mangosing/RC