Duterte supporters barred from joining INC protest at Luneta

Supporters of the Duterte family moved their assembly to Liwasang Bonifacio on Sunday after they were barred from joining a larger protest led by the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) at Luneta Park.

Daniel Nobleza, spokesperson for Reforma Filipina and Hakbang Maisug, said INC organizers refused to let their group into the Luneta gathering because they were calling for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s resignation, according to Super Radyo dzBB reporter Luisito Santos.

Nobleza said INC leaders told them they did not want the Luneta protest “tainted by any political color.”

“Triny namin na gumawang liham para magpaalam sa ating mga kapatid sa Iglesia ngunit mariing nilang tinututulan na kami ay makapasok sa loob lalo’t may nakalagay na ‘BBM resign’ dahil meron silang sariling programa,” he said.

(We tried to write a letter seeking permission from our brothers in the Iglesia, but they strongly opposed our entry, especially because we were carrying ‘BBM resign’ signs, as they had their own program.)

He added that while they respected the INC’s position, their group would continue urging Marcos to step down.

“Kami naman po, naiintindihan namin ang sitwasyon kaya sinusunod namin kung ano po ang gusto nila. Basta kami, patuloy ang panawagan namin na bumaba na si Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” he said.

Before marching to Liwasang Bonifacio, Duterte supporters earlier gathered at Plaza Salamanca and at the corner of Taft Avenue and Kalaw Avenue.

Hakbang Maisug leader Romely Guevara, a resident of Quezon City’s Fifth District, aired frustrations over chronic flooding in their area.

“Kada ulan, baha. Kawawa naman po ang mamamayan, ‘yung mga botante, ‘yung mga taxpayers. Kawawa-kawa po kami,” she said.

(Every time it rains, there’s flooding. Residents—our voters and taxpayers—suffer. We really feel helpless.)

As of 3 p.m., around 130,000 people had gathered at Quirino Grandstand, according to the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG, GMA Integrated News