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Iglesia ni Cristo crowd swells to over 10,000, renders parts of EDSA impassable
(UPDATED 12:18 a.m., August 31) Heavy rain on Sunday early evening failed to dampen the resolve of Iglesia ni Cristo members as the number of protesters at EDSA-Shaw Boulveard, EDSA-Ortigas and in between swelled to more than 10,000 early evening on Sunday, radio dzBB has reported.
Citing figures from the Eastern Police District at past 9 p.m., GMA's radio station reported that there were 14,500 protesters—7,000 protesters at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Boulevard, 4,000 at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue, and 3,500 in between the two sites on both northbound and southbound lanes.
The crowd at both EDSA-Ortigas and EDSA-Shaw rendered both the northbound and southbound lanes of the following points on EDSA not passable:
- EDSA Ortigas
- EDSA Megamall
- Shaw underpass
- Shaw service roads.
The southbound lane of EDSA's Timog flyover was also not passable due to heavy traffic.
In its 9:40 p.m. advisory, the Metro Manila Development Authority said that heavy traffic is being experienced from EDSA Quezon Avenue to Kamuning southbound, Annalopis Street to Shaw Boulevard southbound, Ayala Avenue to Shaw Boulevard Northbound.
The EDSA-Ortigas area is where the Catholic Church's EDSA Shrine stands and Catholic bishops have called for respect for the shrine amid the demonstrations.
Shout for justice
As early as late Sunday afternoon, there were reports of Iglesia ni Cristo members blocking the southbound lane of EDSA Ortigas.
Waving miniature versions of the red, white and green flag of their church, members of the Iglesia ni Cristo converged on the highway, some walking with umbrellas to protect them from driving rain.
Those in parked cars blew their horns in protest.
Shouting "Hustisya" (Justice), protesters raised placards calling on the government to uphold religious freedom.
An influential group which politicians have courted in the past because its members are known to follow their leaders' advice and vote as a bloc, the Iglesia ni Cristo is facing its biggest crisis after a dismissed minister filed an illegal detention case with the Department of Justice department that could lead to the arrest of its leaders.
Church leaders said the case, resulting from infighting over the use of church funds, was an internal matter and the government should not interfere.
A report on "24 Oras Weekend" aired Sunday showed some members of the Iglesia ni Cristo heading to the EDSA Shrine.
Footage showed protesters had occupied half of the Ortigas flyover near the shrine, which marks the site of two popular revolutions.
The crowd initially gathered at the northbound lane near the EDSA Shrine and a mall on Friday night.
Many of the Iglesia protesters have been at EDSA-Shaw, where there is free food, portalets, and mobile phone charging stations, since Friday, a separate "24 Oras Weekend" report said.
The report noted that the permit granted by Mandaluyong City requires protesters to stay within a 1,200-sq.m. area at EDSA-Shaw but that the crowd has already spilled out from their designated area.
"Hinihiling namin ang inyong pakikipag-kooperasyon para magkaroon ng kapayapaan at panatiliin ang maintenance of peace and order dito sa pinagaganapan ng rally ng Iglesia ni Cristo," Sr. Supt. Elmer Jamias, Eastern Police District director, said in the report.
Permit until Monday morning
Meanwhile, Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. announced that members of the Iglesia ni Cristo gathered on EDSA can stay there until morning even if the permit granted by the city government was supposed to expire at midnight.
"Mensahe ko po sa kapulisan: pinapahintulutan ko po sila for humanitarian reasons, magpatila sa Mandaluyong," Abalos said on the stage where the Iglesia had been holding performances through the night.
He said that he would personally escort the Iglesia ni Cristo members to Manila in the morning, where he would hand them over to Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
"Kaya po mamayang umaga, kung sakali mang maayos ang paglipat sa Maynila, di na din po ako matutulog. Sasamahan ko kayo," he said.
Manila earlier issued a rally permit for the protesters until Sept. 4. Church members began their mass action last Thursday at the Department of Justice compound.
‘Respect the shrine’
In a set of guidelines issued to Catholics, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on Sunday called for respect for the EDSA Shrine and for obedience to the law.
"The EDSA Shrine is a Catholic center of worship. It is a church. There is a Catholic priest assigned to it. We ask that all respect the sacred character of the Edsa Shrine," the CBCP said in a statement signed by its president, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
"Unless it is convincingly shown that a law offends moral precepts, obedience to the law is a Christian duty. Sons and daughters of the Church cannot be less observant of the law than other citizens of the Republic," it added. --with a report from Reuters/NB/JST/JDS, GMA News
Citing figures from the Eastern Police District at past 9 p.m., GMA's radio station reported that there were 14,500 protesters—7,000 protesters at the corner of EDSA and Shaw Boulevard, 4,000 at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue, and 3,500 in between the two sites on both northbound and southbound lanes.
Photo: Mga polyetos na ipinamahagi sa mga miyembro ng INC sa Edsa-Shaw @dzbb pic.twitter.com/LDVtKp4dRW
— samnielsen (@dzbbsamnielsen) August 30, 2015The crowd at both EDSA-Ortigas and EDSA-Shaw rendered both the northbound and southbound lanes of the following points on EDSA not passable:
- EDSA Ortigas
- EDSA Megamall
- Shaw underpass
- Shaw service roads.
The southbound lane of EDSA's Timog flyover was also not passable due to heavy traffic.
In its 9:40 p.m. advisory, the Metro Manila Development Authority said that heavy traffic is being experienced from EDSA Quezon Avenue to Kamuning southbound, Annalopis Street to Shaw Boulevard southbound, Ayala Avenue to Shaw Boulevard Northbound.
As of 9:40 PM: Mga hindi madaanang kalsada at update sa traffic pic.twitter.com/SqCSv3ewwc | via @MMDA
— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) August 30, 2015
The EDSA-Ortigas area is where the Catholic Church's EDSA Shrine stands and Catholic bishops have called for respect for the shrine amid the demonstrations.
Shout for justice
As early as late Sunday afternoon, there were reports of Iglesia ni Cristo members blocking the southbound lane of EDSA Ortigas.
Waving miniature versions of the red, white and green flag of their church, members of the Iglesia ni Cristo converged on the highway, some walking with umbrellas to protect them from driving rain.
Those in parked cars blew their horns in protest.
Shouting "Hustisya" (Justice), protesters raised placards calling on the government to uphold religious freedom.
An influential group which politicians have courted in the past because its members are known to follow their leaders' advice and vote as a bloc, the Iglesia ni Cristo is facing its biggest crisis after a dismissed minister filed an illegal detention case with the Department of Justice department that could lead to the arrest of its leaders.
Church leaders said the case, resulting from infighting over the use of church funds, was an internal matter and the government should not interfere.
A report on "24 Oras Weekend" aired Sunday showed some members of the Iglesia ni Cristo heading to the EDSA Shrine.
Footage showed protesters had occupied half of the Ortigas flyover near the shrine, which marks the site of two popular revolutions.
The crowd initially gathered at the northbound lane near the EDSA Shrine and a mall on Friday night.
Many of the Iglesia protesters have been at EDSA-Shaw, where there is free food, portalets, and mobile phone charging stations, since Friday, a separate "24 Oras Weekend" report said.
The report noted that the permit granted by Mandaluyong City requires protesters to stay within a 1,200-sq.m. area at EDSA-Shaw but that the crowd has already spilled out from their designated area.
"Hinihiling namin ang inyong pakikipag-kooperasyon para magkaroon ng kapayapaan at panatiliin ang maintenance of peace and order dito sa pinagaganapan ng rally ng Iglesia ni Cristo," Sr. Supt. Elmer Jamias, Eastern Police District director, said in the report.
Permit until Monday morning
Meanwhile, Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. announced that members of the Iglesia ni Cristo gathered on EDSA can stay there until morning even if the permit granted by the city government was supposed to expire at midnight.
"Mensahe ko po sa kapulisan: pinapahintulutan ko po sila for humanitarian reasons, magpatila sa Mandaluyong," Abalos said on the stage where the Iglesia had been holding performances through the night.
He said that he would personally escort the Iglesia ni Cristo members to Manila in the morning, where he would hand them over to Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
"Kaya po mamayang umaga, kung sakali mang maayos ang paglipat sa Maynila, di na din po ako matutulog. Sasamahan ko kayo," he said.
Manila earlier issued a rally permit for the protesters until Sept. 4. Church members began their mass action last Thursday at the Department of Justice compound.
‘Respect the shrine’
In a set of guidelines issued to Catholics, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines on Sunday called for respect for the EDSA Shrine and for obedience to the law.
"The EDSA Shrine is a Catholic center of worship. It is a church. There is a Catholic priest assigned to it. We ask that all respect the sacred character of the Edsa Shrine," the CBCP said in a statement signed by its president, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.
"Unless it is convincingly shown that a law offends moral precepts, obedience to the law is a Christian duty. Sons and daughters of the Church cannot be less observant of the law than other citizens of the Republic," it added. --with a report from Reuters/NB/JST/JDS, GMA News
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