MANILA, Philippines – Even after the flags, banners, and placards had been laid down and put away, the effects of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) rally linger, at least for presumptive presidential candidates and voters critical of how they reacted to the days-long protest that clogged the streets of Metro Manila.

To many online pundits, politicians’ statements on the INC protest against the justice department’s alleged overreach into its internal matters, was a test of sorts – on whether they would give in to the political influence of the 101-year-old local church.

But is it fair to judge politicians based on how they reacted to the 5-day mass action?

For administration standard-bearer and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, one’s stand on issues is “reflective of how we will govern.”

“We are all in leadership positions and what we think, how we think about the issues, are reflective of how we will govern. As in all things, that’s the way it would be,” said Roxas on Wednesday, September 2, on the sidelines of a gathering of Mindanao-based barangay officials.

Roxas was asked by reporters whether he agreed with the idea that how a politician reacted to the INC really “says a lot” about the person.

The INC’s influence is known to extend to politics, since members are said to vote for candidates endorsed by their leaders. In exchange, the INC is known to lobby for its bets in choice government posts.

While the INC’s clout has been proven in local and tight national races, it’s effectiveness in national polls is still being contested.

Roxas, who declared his plans for 2016 late July, is only among several presumptive presidential candidates who were asked to react to the INC rally, which started in front of the Department of Justice in Manila, and ended along EDSA in Mandaluyong.

The INC’s protests, its biggest anti-government movement under the Aquino administration, started after one of its former ministers filed serious illegal detention cases against several of its leaders.

Opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay, survey front runner Senator Grace Poe, and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were also asked by reporters, in separate chance interviews, to weigh in on the issue.

The INC had demanded from government the resignation of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and the dismissal of the cases against its leaders. 

The INC eventually ended its protest on August 31, after it failed to amass enough numbers and after the government floated the idea of dispersing the protesters.

The church’s permit to rally along EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard was only valid until midnight, August 30, but was extended to the following morning so that the throngs could move to Manila, where they have a permit to rally until September 4.

Poe, Binay, Roxas, Duterte’s stand

Of the 3, it was Binay and Poe who received the most flak online over what people saw as the two politicians’ defense of the politically-influential local church.

While acknowledging that she was not privy to the details of the case and that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was merely doing her job, Poe emphasized the “importance of religion,” noting that the INC was merely “defending their faith.”

“We respect that, and we should also respect their rights,” she said in a chance interview with reporters on August 28. (WATCH: Full comment of Grace Poe on INC issue)

Poe would later clarify that she was not merely defending the INC but the “rights of all,” and claimed her statements were “misinterpreted.”

Binay, for his part, defended the INC and said the rally was an “exercise of their right to assembly and free speech, which are also guaranteed under the Constitution.”

The Vice President, who heads the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, also hit the administration in his August 28 statement. “We cannot fault the INC for resorting to mass action to protect the independence of their church from a clear act of harassment and interference from the administration,” said Binay, who stood by his statement despite criticism on social media.

Roxas’ statement on the protest drew mixed reactions – some lauded him for being different from other politicians, while others hit him for his “soft” stand. The interior secretary was among the key Cabinet officials who worked with President Benigno Aquino III during the days-long INC protest. 

Roxas said in an August 29 statement that 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,” referring to the gridlock caused when thousands of INC members flocked EDSA.

Duterte, whose city was set to host thousands of Mindanao-based INC members for their protest, said the local church was free to hold its rally so long as they do not block people from accessing the city’s courts and a nearby transportation hub.

“The Constitution which is the highest law of the land guarantees, under the Bill of Rights, for citizens to peaceable assemble. I have not seen any unruly or any behavior that warrant police action….If the faithful of Iglesia ni Cristo should decide to be there, there’s nothing we can do,” he later said in a media interview on August 31, the same day the INC announced it would end its protest. – Rappler.com