The other side of the fence: DLSU INC students react to recent rally

From August 27 to 31, thousands of members of the religious sect Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) flocked to the streets of Metro Manila and staged protests along Padre Faura Street, where the Department of Justice (DOJ) is located, and Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), known to many as an icon of democracy.

The INC called for the removal of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima from her post, citing violations against the separation of church and state because she interfered with internal affairs of the INC. De Lima was involved in probing the case of several INC ministers allegedly being abducted in July, and is in the process of resolving the illegal detention case filed by excommunicated INC Minister Isaias Samson Jr. against members of the INC Sanggunian in August.

In light of these events, INC members from DLSU were interviewed by The LaSallian regarding their views and reactions toward the recent activities of the INC.

De Lima and the INC

Jamie* shares that he was initially shocked to find out about the rallies held by the INC. He explains, “When a problem like this arises, we usually just fix the problem internally and we do not involve the non-INC members.” He adds that the INC is usually passive when it comes to rumors and hearsay regarding their church.

For John*, there is a bigger issue than what people already know and what the media presents to the public. He expresses his belief that the events of the past two months are just issues covering up a bigger one, which he perceives to concern the upcoming elections next year, given the fact that INC members are known to practice bloc voting. In the aftermath of the five-day rally calling for De Lima’s removal, the INC has vowed not to support De Lima’s rumored senatorial bid in 2016.

Despite being a member of INC himself, John* says he does not support the causes of the INC in their outcries regarding the violation of the separation of church and state. “The issue here is that the people [involved] in the said complaint might have done something that is punishable by law. The government is just doing its job because no one or no religion is above the law,” he contends. John*, nevertheless, points out De Lima’s “bias” for giving special attention to the illegal detention case filed by Samson.

Experiences from the rallies

Jamie* explains that members were asked to participate in the rallies so that they could express their support for the INC’s pamamahala, in view of their aggressive stance against De Lima’s practice of “selective justice.” According to him, their Sunday church activities last August 31 were cancelled so that members could participate in the rally.

Meg* says she was also encouraged by her local church minister to head to the rallies. She recounts that members of her local church were asked to gather and hold a vigil first before marching to EDSA. During the INC’s rally in EDSA, INC members set up a stage and held concerts to keep their members entertained, while the rest of the city experienced heavy traffic due to road closures and the presence of thousands of supporters of INC in one of the metro’s main arterial routes.

On the other hand, John* explains that he did not participate in the rally despite being encouraged by co-church members because he thinks that “they’re fighting for the wrong reason.”

On bashing from non-INC members

Danielle* perceives that the rally has given “a bad public image” to the name of INC. In what is arguably a very controversial time for INC, with expelled ministers alleging illegal detention, abduction, and corruption within the church, the INC congregation has remained resilient despite various criticisms hurled their way. But John* says he does not blame non-members for criticizing the INC because the recent rallies had inconvenienced a lot of people.

Meg* believes that the perception of separation of church and state, which the INC had clamored for, was distorted and expresses her doubts on whether or not her co-members who participated in the rallies even knew what they were truly fighting for. In light of the recent issues plaguing the 101-year-old INC, she hopes that that non-members of the INC would not generalize its supporters as “robots.”

Like Meg*, John* clarifies that he “loves the church and its teachings,” despite his disagreement with the perception of the INC. He shares that he simply did not agree with the arguments posited by the INC.

The INC claimed victory at the end of the five-day protest, with INC General Minister Bienvenido Santiago stating that the church had reached an agreement with the government in a televised announcement aired over INC-owned Net25 and INCTV. Despite the high tension between the government and the INC, Jamie* thinks that the two sides have managed to reach a compromise with each other. Because the rallying has ceased, he assumes that the INC has agreed with acceptable terms from the government.

On the other hand, Danielle* comments that the INC might have gotten what it wanted, but for her, this issue is not yet over.

*Names were changed to protect the identity of sources.