VANCOUVER, Canada — On the eve of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.‘s departure for Vancouver, there were a few hours of uncertainty on whether or not his official visit to Canada would push through.
Earlier on Tuesday, June 30, Marcos skipped two public events after a surprise protest by influential religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) stalled traffic along Metro Manila’s busiest highways. The protest was against the possible arrest of one of its members, Senator Rodante Marcoleta, over a plunder complaint. A briefing of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was put on hold, and then eventually scrapped.
It was not until past 3 pm on Tuesday when Palace Communications Secretary Dave Gomez confirmed that there would be no change of plans. Marcos, the first Philippine president to make an official visit to Canada in over a decade, would push through with the trip.
In a chance interview right before boarding PR001, Marcos said he had faith in the INC because in its “history” of protests, chaos was never its goal.
“That for me was the main concern that somebody might get hurt. Ang problema lang namin is that merong impormasyon na siyempre merong mga, mag-infiltrate; mag-agitate. ‘Yun ang inaalala namin. Ang pinaka-importante sa amin, walang masaktan.… So let’s just keep everything stable and peaceful. And so far it has been,” he said.
