MANIILA: Thousands of members of a powerful Philippine religious sect rallied in Manila on Tuesday, snarling traffic as they protested the expected arrest of a senator and church member.
The rally came a day after authorities announced that Senator Rodante Marcoleta, a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) church and an ally of Vice President Sara Duterte, was set to be charged with graft tied to his election campaign fund.
The INC has historically been a powerful voting bloc with ties to the Duterte political dynasty, and Marcoleta is widely viewed as an all-but-certain vote against convicting Duterte at her Senate impeachment trial, which begins next week.
Protesters who spoke with AFP said they had been contacted by organizers at around 9:00 p.m. the night before via text, phone calls and messages on the Telegram platform.
“This is a lightning protest. As you know, the Iglesia ni Cristo is just one body. With just one command, everybody will follow,” 56-year-old Rodel Gundrean told AFP.
