BILANG PILIPINO | Iglesia ni Cristo endorses Marcos and Duterte-Carpio in the May 9 polls

May 3, 2022 , 09:47 PM

By Clarist Zablan, News5 Digital

(May 3, 2022) – An influential Christian sect on Tuesday endorsed the candidacies of only son and namesake of the late dictator and his running mate in the elections next week, boosting their chances to win the balloting.

Known for its block voting in the elections, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), the country’s fourth largest religious group, has ordered its over 2 million members to vote Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for president and vice president, respectively, its television network Net25 reported.

The group also endorsed a number of pro-administration allies for senators, namely Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, senator Sherwin Gatchalian, House deputy speaker Loren Legarda, former senator Jinggoy Estrada, former public works and highways secretary Mark Villar, and actor Robin Padilla.

Senator Joel Villanueva, lawmakers Alan Peter Cayetano and Chiz Escudero, retired national police chief Guillermo Eleazar, and former senator JV Ejercito also received backing.

Marcos Jr, the standard-bearer of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, said he was “extremely delighted” and grateful for INC’s endorsement, which he described as a “great honor.”

“Sisikapin po namin na ang tiwalang ipinagkaloob ng kapatirang Iglesia Ni Cristo ay magbubunga ng tunay na pagkakaisa ng mga Pilipinong nagmamahal sa Pilipinas at walang alinlangan na sama-samang haharap sa mga pagsubok na dinaanan sa paghahanda ng magandang bukas para sa ating kabataan,” he said in a statement.

Duterte-Carpio, in a video message with Marcos Jr., also welcomed the endorsement, while viewing it as a challenge from the church to prove their ability to “unite” the nation.

Leyte Congressman Martin Romualdez, president of Duterte-Carpio’s political party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), also thanked INC for the support.

“Its announcement today (Tuesday), together with the expressions of support for the BBM-Sara tandem of other religious and sectoral organizations and local officials, seals what we expect to be the landslide victory on Monday of our candidates,” Romualdez said.

It can be recalled that INC endorsed Rodrigo Duterte, Duterte-Carpio’s father, and Marcos Jr. as the pair to vote for the two highest seats in the government in 2016. Duterte won the presidency, but Marcos Jr. narrowly lost against Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

The endorsement is expected to boost the Marcos-Duterte campaign as they continue to lead their respective contests based on pre-election surveys.

But political analyst Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute, reminded that the church’s endorsement won’t necessarily guarantee a win, although it will help.

“We expect, if it’s a solid vote in a very tight race, that would be very positive kung sino man ang kandidato, Marcos-Sara Duterte, makakatulong ito to concretize yung suporta para sa tambalang Uniteam,” Manhit said on CignalTV’s One PH channel’s program “Sa Totoo Lang.”

(MM | With reports from Jenny Dongon, News5)

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