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.”

- RONALD LLAMAS

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.