Poe: INC visit meant to share platform of governance, not ask for endorsement

Sen. Grace Poe said Saturday that she decided to pay a visit to Iglesia ni Cristo as a courtesy to the group and as part of her move to reach out to various organizations and share her platform of governance.

READ: Poe visits top INC minister

Poe, who met with INC political affairs chief Erano Codera on Wednesday, said there was no commitment from INC to support her bid for President and she did not expressly ask for an endorsement.

“It would be disingenuous to say that you don’t pay courtesy calls in various areas. I did this voluntarily. Especially for an independent candidate like me, you would need to share your platform, and whoever would express support, thank you,” she told reporters late Saturday night.

“But it is clear to me that while I am thankful for the support, there will be equal treatment for all,” she added.

According to her, they did not tackle the pending cases against INC leaders and allegations of harassment concerning the church. What they discussed was how people would be treated equally under the law.

“What we talked about was how under my government, there should be equal treatment under the law, whether you are rich, and especially if you are poor. You should have proper representation,” she said.

They also discussed reforms in the judiciary, as well as the need for more lawyers in the Public Attorney’s Office and for proper handling of case documents and evidence, she said.

Poe had been criticized for her stand when she earlier said INC members were just defending her faith when they held mass protests against the Department of Justice’s handling of an illegal detention case against a church leader. The rallies had snarled traffic in Manila and along EDSA for four days.

As for the presence of Mike Defensor, a former member of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s cabinet, Poe said he was already at the INC when she arrived.

It was just a coincidence that their visit to the INC took place at the same time. There were also other politicians in the waiting area, she added, though she declined to name them publicly.

“I don’t control their schedules,” she said.

On Friday, she said Defensor’s association with the previous administration was “incompatible with my crusade for transparent governance and electoral reform.”

Politicians regularly troop to the INC to seek the support of the religious organization, whose two million voters are said to vote in a bloc based the advice of the church’s top leaders. TVJ

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