Philippine religious group challenges Marcos, seeks to shield senator over probe

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr faced a stern challenge on Tuesday after the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) religious movement staged a protest on Metro Manila’s busiest highway to demand that the presidential palace stop going after one of its members, Senator Rodante Marcoleta. The rally at Edsa – the highway where a 1986 people power uprising helped topple Marcos’ father, who was the country’s long-time dictator – has raised the stakes of a looming criminal case involving Marcoleta, according to analysts. Marcoleta, the first INC member elected to the Philippine Senate, has been touted as a potential vice-presidential running mate of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in the 2028 presidential election. The rally took place a day after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Monday that charges would soon be filed against Marcoleta for the non-bailable crime of plunder following his admission – as stated by investigators – that he accepted 75 million pesos (US$1.2 million) “donations” for his 2025 election campaign. By mid-afternoon, the rally drew around 12,000 people, according to some estimates. It reportedly caught the presidential palace flat-footed. Marcos’ office abruptly cancelled a scheduled dialogue with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines and a separate event in Manila, and told its employees to return home immediately. Philippine National Police Major General Anthony Aberin, who is in charge of security for Metro Manila, said on DZMM radio that he had ordered “the fortification of Malacanang” by setting up barricades along major routes to the palace and Liwasang Bonifacio, near the palace, due to the crowd. Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio issued a statement supporting the protesters. “The people gathered in Edsa today reflect a growing sentiment that I have consistently expressed since 2024. This administration has been defined by poor governance and its failure to acknowledge and address the country’s real problems,” she said. Duterte-Carpio said that the president had “remained detached from the hardships confronting Filipinos”, citing rising prices and job insecurity. “Instead of confronting these challenges with solutions, the administration has chosen to silence dissent under the guise of accountability. It has weaponised the justice system by filing cases against and imprisoning individuals who dare speak out against alleged corruption and abuses in Malacanang,” she said. Marcoleta has framed his imminent case and possible arrest as a form of persecution. He warned on Tuesday of a “pattern” of arrests of individuals who were compassionate towards Filipinos and determined to expose the truth about corrupt practices. “I knew they were going to do this to me. I know they will arrest me. Jail me. But that is not a reason for me to stop serving you,” he said in a statement. Dino Singson de Leon, a human rights lawyer, said that Marcos would look weak if he “kowtowed” to pressure and allowed Marcoleta to avoid prosecution. If an arrest warrant against the senator and his case were to proceed properly, the president would be able to project his strength on the matter, De Leon added. “This will be a test case of the ability of the state to hold into account a person who has openly admitted that he accepted money as a gift pre-election while sitting as a member of Congress.” The state should hold Marcoleta accountable “despite the powerful influence of any religious group”, De Leon said. “If the state blinks, it will expose itself as weak and powerless.” Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Marcoleta was not specifically targeted, adding that the investigation was part of “genuine efforts to fix our society”. INC spokesman Edwil Zabala said on Tuesday that the movement was protesting against what it called the Marcos government’s “selective justice” and persecution of Marcoleta after he began a senatorial investigation into alleged massive corruption linked to flood control projects. “What we find surprising is why it is Senator Marcoleta, who has been pushing forward to expose those involved in the massive theft in the Philippines, has a case being filed against him and is being threatened with imprisonment and not the ones who have been exposed,” Zabala said. A non-bailable case would leave Marcoleta unable to continue exposing “those involved in the plunder of government funds”, Zabala added. According to Zabala, Marcoleta’s acceptance of campaign donations was not “plunder” as the funds were from citizens who supported his candidacy. The Commission on Elections had ruled that accepting campaign donations was not an offence, Zabala said. But Clavano said Marcoleta’s alleged offence was not declaring the amount in an annual statement required of all state employees and a separate statement for political candidates. Jean Franco, a political scientist at the University of the Philippines, said Marcos could not “afford to blink” in the face of the challenge posed by the INC over Marcoleta. “Otherwise, his legitimacy will further be eroded. If Marcos wants to leave a legacy, he should go against his father, who cultivated INC support during his dictatorship. The rule of law must prevail at all times,” she added. Ronald Llamas, a political risk analyst, said that INC had used its clout previously to protect its interests, citing INC’s three-day rally in 2015 beside the People Power monument along Edsa to pressure then justice secretary Leila de Lima from interfering with an illegal detention case filed by two INC ministers. A closure of the Edsa area for several days would have a negative economic impact, said Llamas, adding that the site was highly symbolic as two successful uprisings by Filipinos led to changes in the country’s leadership in 1986 and 2001. “That’s the main highway. It’s not only the economy. It’s a manifestation of whether you are in control.”

Philippine religious group challenges Marcos, seeks to shield senator over probe

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Senator Rodante Marcoleta, a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, is under investigation over US$1.2 million ‘donations’ to fund his candidacy

Senator Rodante Marcoleta, a member of the Iglesia ni Cristo, is under investigation over US$1.2 million ‘donations’ to fund his candidacy