Palace on three-day rally: Iglesia ni Cristo knows who's lying

Following the accusations made by former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co, Malacañang expressed doubt Friday that the upcoming three-day protest action of the Iglesia Ni Cristo would spark outrage against the Marcos administration. 

During a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro was asked how concerned is President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. with the INC rally given that Co made claims against him. 

"Alam ko naman po na ang mga miyembro ng INC ay matatalino, maka-Diyos, makabayan, so alam po nila kung sino ang nagsisinungaling at alam po nila kung sino ang tunay na nagtratrabaho para sa bayan," Castro said. 

(I know that INC members are smart, pious, patriotic. So they know who is lying and who is truly working for the country.)

The INC earlier said its rally at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila from November 16 to 18 aims to call for accountability for corruption in alleged flood control projects.

In a statement, the INC said the "rally for transparency, accountability, justice, and peace" is set to highlight the public clamor for a proper and transparent probe into the anomalous flood control projects and other climate-tagged projects "where over a trillion pesos were estimated to have been lost due to corruption since 2023."

INC spokesperson and Minister of the Gospel Bro. Edwil Zabala has said the gathering is not intended to interfere in politics. 

Earlier in the day, Co accused the President and his cousin, former Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez, and several Cabinet members, of orchestrating supposed "insertions" worth P100 billion in the national budget.

PCO Acting Secretary Dave Gomez dismissed Co's claims as pure hearsay. — VDV, GMA Integrated News