Roxas admits presenting LP platform to Iglesia Ni Cristo leaders

It's not just presidential candidate Sen.Grace Poe who recently had a meeting with the leaders of the politically-influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).

On Saturday, Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II confirmed that he and running mate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo had talks with the INC.

"Ginanap ito 1 or 2 weeks ago. Regular meeting, pineresenta namin ang plataporma, pormal na pahayag ng aming plataporma, ang aming priorities," Roxas said.

Roxas added the meeting did not tackle how the administration candidate could clinch the support of the INC, which has nearly two million members.

Members of the INC are known to vote as a bloc.

In a his newspaper column, Social Weather Stations (SWS) president Mahar Mangahas said the INC accounted for 4.25 percent or 1.53 million of the roughly 36 million votes cast for president and vice president in the 2010 elections.

He said the INC vote would be around 1.7 million by 2016. ‎

An SWS exit poll in the 2010 elections showed that 77 percent of the church members voted for then Liberal Party standard bearer Benigno Aquino III who was endorsed by INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo while 74 percent voted for Roxas in the vice presidential race.

"Ang support naman ay kusang ibinibigay. So binigay namin ang aming plataporma, at alam naman nila ang aming track record, at sa nakatakdang panahon ay magpapasya din sila," Roxas said.

Poe admitted early this week she had visited the INC "central" church in Quezon City to meet with INC's political affairs chief Eraño Codera.

The senator, however, clarified that she never asked Codera at any point during the meeting if she could be endorsed by the indigenous Christian sect.   — APG, GMA News