Iglesia ni Cristo Endorses Marcos Jr. for President and Duterte-Carpio for Vice President in 2022 Race

The Iglesia ni Cristo, a religious movement founded by Felix Manalo in 1914, formally endorsed Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for president and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for vice president in the 2022 national elections. The endorsement, announced on May 3, was released in a report broadcast on Net 25, a station owned by church leaders.

The church also announced 12 senatorial bets: Jojo Binay, Alan Peter Cayetano, JV Ejercito Estrada, Guillermo Eleazar, Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Win Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, Robin Padilla, Joel Villanueva, Mark Villar and Migz Zubiri. The broadcast report said that members recognize the unity of the church as one of the Bible’s teachings that should be followed.

The source notes that the endorsement resembles the church’s choices in 2016. In that year, the church endorsed Rodrigo Duterte, father of Sara Duterte-Carpio and then mayor of Davao City, for president, and Marcos Jr. for vice president. The church’s presidential choice won, while Marcos Jr. lost the vice presidential race to Vice President Leni Robredo.

The church is known to practice bloc voting, in which members vote for a candidate chosen by church leaders. According to the report, the church’s bloc voting has been influential in national races since 1969, especially for national positions.

The source gives a record of the church’s presidential endorsements since 1969. Of the presidential candidates the church endorsed in that period, seven officially won. Two of those winners were removed from office through people power before completing their terms. One endorsed presidential candidate lost. The church endorsed the late Ferdinand Marcos, father of Bongbong Marcos, in 1969, his second term after the church also backed him in 1965. He imposed Martial Law in 1972. In the 1986 snap elections, the church again endorsed Marcos, who was declared the winner over Corazon Aquino. Aquino was sworn in as president later that year through people power. In 1992, the church endorsed Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr., who lost to Fidel Ramos. In 1998 the church endorsed Joseph Estrada, who served until his ouster in 2001, also through people power.

According to the article, every presidential candidate the church endorsed since then has won: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004, Benigno Simeon Aquino III in 2010, and Rodrigo Duterte in 2016. The source says the church takes pride in endorsing candidates who eventually win.

In its statement, the church said that the decision of its leadership is respected by its members. It added that politicians recognize the help that the church’s unity can give them to win on election day, which the church said would fall on Monday, May 9.

Source: Read the original report