‘MSM,’ BBM supporters muddle INC message

THE Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) religious group made a massive show of its social and national consciousness, wisdom, and conscientiousness thru its exercise of will and resources when it mobilized 1.5-million of its members at the Quirino Grandstand and other areas of the country last January 13, 2025, thru its call for the restoration of “Peace and Unity” among Filipinos.

In the ramp up, during, and in the aftermath of the mammoth show of moral force joined in by many other sectors of society in Metro Manila and in major cities like Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, and other provincial cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, there has been the persistent description of the event as a “political exercise” and “partisanship” but which the INC has taken pains to avoid.

All national constitutions are political documents, and the provisions therein are political and legal instructions, i.e. relating to government and public affairs of the country, hence adherence or dissidence from them is a political act.

This is why it is wrong to blame the military, for example, to avoid being “political” when asked to follow the Constitution strictly and not to defy the authorities when the correct term should be of their avoiding being “partisan.”

The INC action for “Peace and Unity” is, indeed, a political call but not a partisan one.

It is a call for all parties, political or otherwise, to come together as one and restore solidarity amongst the different persuasions in society around the value of peaceful conduct of all affairs and to focus instead on the vital issues facing Philippine society.

But factions in Bongbong Marcos’ political base are deliberately alleging partisanship and poking mainstream media to badger about this issue to deride the INC initiative.

The INC gathering has let off the pent-up steam in the bowels of the Philippine social volcano, which is, for Congress to desist from the continuing with the political and media persecution of the Dutertes and for everyone to instead focus on far graver problems affecting our nation.

The response to the INC call from Bongbong Marcos’ key henchmen is the replacement of the key “enforcer” in the congressional hearings against Vice President Sara Duterte, Bicol party list congressman Zaldy Co by another discredited anti-Duterte, Rep. Stella Quimbo of Marikina City, did not change anything.

Government paid surveys such as the OCTA 4th Qtr. 2024 survey continuously being played up by government propaganda platforms show arch-fiend House Speaker Martin Romualdez with a 58 percent trust rating and 59 percent performance rating while also showing 49 percent trust and 48 percent performance ratings for VP Sara is simply preposterous.

By doing so, it shows the continuing malicious campaign of BBM political forces thru lies and distortions to sustain their attacks on the Dutertes and divide the nation.

The last word to add to this brief analysis of the outcome from the INC mobilization and BBM’s response is the hand of the U.S. all throughout this ‘Divide et Vince’ (divide and conquer) campaign.

This is by using BBM and his political henchmen, including the politically spent Yellow political forces and the Catholic hierarchy to splinter country, distract the nation from the loss of massive economic benefits of entente with China, and avert the return of the “Independent Foreign Policy” that the Duterte legacy represents.