No deal with INC

 Not even the five-day protest rally by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) can stop Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima from proceeding with the preliminary investigation of the criminal complaint filed against eight of the ten-man council of leaders of the influential religious group. Though bruited to run for the Senate in the coming May, 2016 elections, the feisty De Lima showed she won’t be cowed nor be swayed from carrying out her mandate as justice secretary.

The INC launched their protest action on the occasion of De Lima’s birthday last August 27 at the DOJ office in Padre Faura St. in Manila that ended at EDSA four days later. Through their official spokesman Edwil Zabala, they denounced the alleged attempts by De Lima to politicize a criminal case against the INC leaders.

It was De Lima’s assumption of the cases against INC leaders in the first place that triggered the protest rallies.

Undeterred by the protest rallies staged the previous week by the INC, De Lima announced last week her state prosecutors will commence the legal processes to resolve the complaints of serious illegal detention, harassment and coercion filed by expelled INC ministers Isaias Samson Jr. and Lito Fruto.

This should finally put an end to rumors of alleged “deal” forged by INC leadership with certain national government officials as the reason why they lifted the protest rallies against De Lima.

The ensuing monstrous traffic jams paralyzed the busy roads affected by the INC occupation of EDSA. And the primary blame for the resulting chaotic traffic was pointed to the direction of Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos.

Appearing as one of the guests in last week’s Kapihan sa Manila Bay, Mayor Abalos explained how the INC rally at EDSA from late Friday night (Aug. 28) to the morning of Monday (Aug.31) was a not so ordinary situation.

When the INC marched all the way from Padre Faura to EDSA that Friday night, Abalos said he along with Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista were summoned to a meeting with Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas II at Camp Crame in Quezon City. He swore that he was surprised – in his own words “nabulaga” – by the sudden surge of crowds at various points in EDSA.

Let’s hear it straight from Mayor Abalos who issued his own narrative: “It was the evening of Aug. 28 when an unusual assembly of people gathered in four areas of EDSA resulting in the blocking of traffic flow. The INC membership gathered at the People Power Monument and at the EDSA Shrine in QC and at SM Megamall and EDSA-Shaw Boulevard (Crossing) in Mandaluyong that resulted in the paralysis of traffic flow in four major intersections of EDSA: EDSA-White Plains Road; EDSA-Ortigas Ave.; EDSA-Julia Vargas; and, EDSA-Shaw Boulevard.”

The arrival of these crowds came as a huge surprise to everyone, including national government and city officials and presented both a traffic problem and a huge potential for a very untoward incident if left on its own. “It was an extraordinary situation that needs extraordinary solution, that needs immediate action before it gets out of control,” Mayor Abalos pointed out as he recognized the volatility of the situation and the need for immediate action. First to be done was to contain it and set the parameters. So the mayor decided to grant a permit request from the INC leadership with the condition that the rally be confined at the EDSA-Shaw (Crossing) intersection.
The permit allowed them to leave the People Power Monument, the EDSA Shrine and SM Megamall and stay in one area only – the EDSA-Shaw Blvd intersection.

Why was EDSA-Shaw intersection picked?

The mayor explained: “The EDSA-Shaw intersection has an underpass that would allow this portion of this major road to be passable to those going to southern and northern Metro Manila. While those bound for Pasig, Mandaluyong and Manila can use the Shaw flyover.”

Mayor Abalos’ decision to contain the INC rally here was proven right when traffic flow experienced some kind of normalcy on Saturday (Aug. 29). Though the crowd and traffic became heavy on Sunday (Aug. 30), the permit allowed the rallyists a venue to express their grievances through peaceful means.

The INC leadership originally submitted an application for a 3-day rally from Saturday Aug. 29 to Monday Aug. 31. But Mayor Abalos decided against allowing them to stay till Monday as this he believed would have serious consequences on traffic flow because it was the last day of the long weekend.

At 11 in the evening of Aug. 30 – or around an hour before the 12:00 a.m. expiration of the permit that he granted to the INC rally – fast approaching, Mayor Abalos stepped on stage to inform rallyists and the INC leadership that they have to leave the area by 12 a.m.

However, taking into consideration the large number of protesters who trooped to the area that day and the presence of women, children and seniors among the INC rallyists, aside from the foul weather over Metro Manila at that time, the Mayor allowed them to stay till the morning.

This was a humanitarian gesture to prevent any untoward incidents that may arise if he allowed around 40,000 people to walk under heavy rain that late in the night, which might present opportunities for those wishing to take advantage of the situation.
“At the break of morning, the INC protesters were escorted by city police and civilian components to Manila via Shaw Blvd, Kalentong, then to Sta. Ana. Left behind to clean up the area were Mandaluyong City personnel from the ESC, Traffic and some members of the INC.” (End of statement from the Office of the Mayor)

Abalos is on his third and last term as mayor of Mandaluyong City. As the remaining Lakas-NUCD among Metro Manila mayors, Abalos is affiliated with the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) party of Vice President Jejomar Binay. He is the son of former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos.

After 21 years in public service – including three years as Mandaluyong City congressman – Abalos announced he would go on a sabbatical from politics. But, he disclosed, it would be his wife who would run in next year’s mayoral race in the city.

Like De Lima, Abalos swears he struck no deal with INC, except making sure the protest rally at EDSA ended peacefully.