Philippine religious group challenges Marcos, seeks to shield senator over probe

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr faced a stern challenge on Tuesday after the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) religious movement staged a protest on Metro Manila’s busiest highway to demand that the presidential palace stop going after one of its members, Senator Rodante Marcoleta.The rally at Edsa – the highway where a 1986 people power uprising helped topple Marcos’ father, who was the country’s long-time dictator – has raised the stakes of a looming criminal case involving Marcoleta, according to analysts.Marcoleta, the first INC member elected to the Philippine Senate, has been touted as a potential vice-presidential running mate of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in the 2028 presidential election.The rally took place a day after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Monday that charges would soon be filed against Marcoleta for the non-bailable crime of plunder following his admission – as stated by investigators – that he accepted 75 million pesos (US$1.2 million) “donations” for his 2025 election campaign.By mid-afternoon, the rally drew around 12,000 people, according to some estimates. It reportedly caught the presidential palace flat-footed. Marcos’ office abruptly cancelled a scheduled dialogue with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines and a separate event in Manila, and told its employees to return home immediately.Philippine National Police Major General Anthony Aberin, who is in charge of security for Metro Manila, said on DZMM radio that he had ordered “the fortification of Malacanang” by setting up barricades along major routes to the palace and Liwasang Bonifacio, near the palace, due to the crowd.