The disastrous rally for a ‘bigwig’

EDSA ground to a halt on Tuesday morning when thousands of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), before daybreak, converged on the People Power Monument for a “surprise rally.” The scene was chaotic and confusing, catching not only commuters but even traffic enforcers and police officers completely off guard.

Unlike previous large mobilizations, such as last year’s mammoth Trillion Peso Marches on EDSA organized by social movements, the INC gave no prior notice. It neither secured a permit nor coordinated with authorities. As a result, protesters spilled onto the highway, choking traffic. Worse, the buses that transported them were deliberately positioned to block the entire northbound lane of EDSA. Thousands of workers and students arrived late, or not at all. Motorists wasted hours trapped on the road, burning costly fuel while the gridlock stretched for kilometers.

Several arrests were made. Numerous illegally parked vehicles were ticketed and towed as angry rallyists taunted and shouted at authorities. From all appearances, the objective was not simply to hold a gathering but to catch both the public and the government by surprise and effect maximum disruption.

Journalists who arrived early repeatedly asked participants why they had gathered. Some chanted, “Walang sasagot,” while others jokingly replied, “Magkakape lang.” It was only between seven and nine in the morning that the INC leadership finally revealed the purpose of the gathering. It was to allegedly protest government corruption and what it described as “selective justice.” It also openly declared its support for “bigwig” Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, the INC’s highest-ranking government official, who at the time was facing the imminent filing of plunder charges over his undeclared P75 million in campaign donations.

The rally, while surprising many, was expected as the administration had already signaled its intention to pursue charges against Marcoleta. What surprised many was the blitzkrieg-style execution of the protest, as though its purpose was to pressure, intimidate and badger the government into backing away from Marcoleta.

Public reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Many viewed the rally as disruptive and unjustified. Rather than seeing it as a protest against corruption, people saw it as a mass mobilization in defense of a corrupt politician.

The gathering became a stage of familiar political abominations. There was ousted Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano, whose chaotic three-week Senate presidency nearly destroyed the Senate; Sen. Robin Padilla, who gifted us with the theory that a wanted fugitive who simply walks away to evade authorities is somehow not escaping; estranged sister of the president, Sen. Imee Marcos and Batangas Congressman Leandro Leviste, who allegedly owes taxpayers P 24 billion in penalties from his worthless solar energy projects.

The gathering was reportedly intended to last three days. But the Quezon City government declined to allow a third day because of the severe disruption it had caused. The protesters instead relocated to Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. Even then, the program ended earlier than expected as the crowd visibly thinned.

And what did the entire spectacle accomplish? Nothing.

On Friday, the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder charges against Marcoleta. If the legal process proceeds as expected, a warrant for his arrest could soon follow. After all the noise, Marcoleta was charged anyway.

The episode appeared to have left the INC politically diminished.

First, the myth that it could effortlessly summon overwhelming numbers at will took a significant hit. While its EDSA rally reportedly peaked at around 10,000 to 15,000, it paled in comparison to its November 2025 Luneta rally, which drew an estimated half a million people.

Second, the messaging was strikingly incoherent. Unlike its carefully curated Luneta gathering last year, where speakers and messages were tightly managed, the EDSA rally lurched from anti-corruption rhetoric to open appeals for Marcoleta to calls for twice-impeached Vice President Sara Duterte to take charge of the government.

Third, the restraint and discipline that had characterized previous INC mobilizations were noticeably absent. This time, anger seemed to drive the event more than careful political calculation.

Furthermore, unlike its Luneta rally, which strengthened the INC’s political leverage and reportedly secured favorable concessions from the administration, this mobilization produced no tangible gains. It ended with the filing of charges against Marcoleta, the very outcome it sought to stop.

And the ultimate insult? In the middle of the INC’s protest, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. proceeded with his foreign trip, sending the message that they pose no threat to him.

The INC claimed authorities prevented more members from reaching EDSA, explaining the low turnout. I see it differently. Even a highly disciplined institution has limits when asked to mobilize people in defense of a stomach-churning, uninspiring politician accused of massive corruption. Who would skip work, endure blistering heat and rain and sleep on the streets for a Marcoleta? The same politician who brazenly admitted on national television that he deliberately did not disclose P75 million in campaign donations? In trying to evade a simple election offense, he instead reinforced allegations of indirect bribery, ill-gotten wealth and ultimately plunder. In the end, Marcoleta is the strongest evidence against himself.

But beyond the fate of Marcoleta, last week’s events once again force us to interrogate the role of religion in public life. Karl Marx famously called religion the “opium of the masses,” saying that while it can provide comfort to the suffering, it can also be used to legitimize power. Yet, religion has also inspired struggles for justice and democracy. Yes, modern democracy demands the separation of church and state, but this does not mean faith is excluded from public affairs. Religious institutions have every right to speak on social issues. However, it comes with a moral responsibility. Religion serves society best when it speaks truth to power, not when it lends its moral authority to questionable causes.