How an influential Philippine church could shape the Marcos-Duterte rift

The Iglesia ni Cristo, known for its disciplined bloc voting, plans to protest against moves to impeach Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio

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Central temple of the Iglesia ni Cristo along Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, Manila, the Philippines. Photo: SCMPOST

Published: 10:00am, 11 Dec 2024Updated: 11:00am, 11 Dec 2024

An influential church in the Philippines, known for its disciplined bloc voting that can swing elections, has taken the unusual step of opposing impeachment efforts against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio amid her power struggle with ally-turned-rival President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), which was founded 110 years ago and claims more than 2.8 million members, announced plans for a peaceful protest through its media networks on December 4 “to support the opinion of President Marcos Jnr that opposes an impeachment case against Vice-President Sara Duterte”.

The impeachment complaints, filed by progressive groups in the House of Representatives last month, followed Duterte-Carpio’s explosive accusations of incompetence against Marcos Jnr, coupled with her controversial admission that she had hired an assassin to avenge her death should she be killed.

Marcos Jnr had earlier called the impeachment efforts counterproductive, saying they would “only tie down Congress and not help people”.

Duterte-Carpio’s incendiary remarks have deepened the rift between the two leaders, who once campaigned as a united front under the Marcos-Duterte “UniTeam” coalition in the 2022 elections, which the INC endorsed.

But the INC’s latest announcement wasn’t just about standing with Duterte-Carpio. Observers noted the church’s careful wording, which avoided overt allegiance to either side.