Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo meets with Iglesia ni Cristo leaders.
Vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo admitted that she and presidential running mate Mar Roxas met with the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) leaders, a religious group in the Philippine known as one of the bloc-voting religious sects with millions of members.
In a live INQ & A, the Camarines Sur representative told Inquirer that they have indeed had a meeting with INC officials. However, she did not confirm nor deny that the group will endorse their candidacy.
When she was asked what they talked about, Robredo replied: “It was just like the usual (meeting). We didn’t talk about the election.” She also added that it was only her and former Interior Secretary who went to the meeting and no one from their camp went with them.
Presidential candidates including Grace Poe have been seeking the support of INC. It is believed that the group can carry 2 million votes from its members.
Last year, Roxas and the administration received criticisms from INC members. They held a four-day mass to protest the handling of former Justice Secretary Leila De Lima of illegal detention case filed by an expelled member against the group’s officials.
Mar Roxas angered the protesters, who blocked a portion of EDSA during the rally. He said that they should follow the rules while exercising their rights.
“As in all protest actions, preserving peace and order with maximum tolerance will be practiced by all responding policemen. While all citizens have the right to be heard and to peaceful assembly, the exercise of these rights cannot impinge on the rights of others or cause inconvenience to anyone,” Inquirer quoted him saying.