Mega Church Plans Rally to Support Duterte in Philippines Feud

(Bloomberg) -- Around half a million members of an influential Philippine religious group are set to hold a rally in the capital on Monday, police said, to oppose moves in Congress to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

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Police will deploy around 2,500 personnel in Manila and possibly some more in the provinces to boost security in view of the event planned by the Iglesia ni Cristo, police spokesperson Jean Fajardo said on Friday. There will be similar rallies across the nation, prompting some schools to suspend classes on Monday. “We expect it to be a whole day affair,” Fajardo said.

The gathering aims to show support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s opposition to impeach his deputy, according to media company NET25 which is owned by Iglesia.

Duterte is facing three impeachment complaints, all filed at the House of Representatives last month, centered on accusations that she misused public funds. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Marcos has distanced himself from moves to oust Duterte, calling his feud with the vice president a “storm in a teacup.” Two years after they won election on a joint ticket by a wide margin, Duterte’s relationship with Marcos has completely broken down. In November, she claimed that in the event that she’s killed, she had arranged for the killing of the president, his wife and his cousin, the House speaker.

Iglesia, which has nearly 3 million members in the country and is known to vote as a bloc during elections, endorsed the Marcos-Duterte tandem in the 2022 elections. The Southeast Asian nation is set to hold midterm polls in May.

--With assistance from Neil Jerome Morales.

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