Heavy traffic seen due to Iglesia’s QC event

MANILA, Philippines – The religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) will mount a huge event in Quezon City on Friday, March 28, forcing the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to cancel work because of “the expected heavy traffic.”

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno approved on Friday, March 21, the Sandiganbayan’s request to suspend work on that same day of March 28. She however required that a “skeletal workforce” be in place. 

The INC will hold the event along the eastbound portion of Commonwealth Avenue from Sandiganbayan to Litex, the anti-graft court said. The Lingap-Pamamahayag, an evangelical mission, will run from 12 am to 6 pm.

Commonwealth is a main road in Quezon City, and is usually less congested than others. March 28 is also a pay day, when crowds usually flock to malls and pack the roads.

The INC also held a Lingap-Pamamahayag in Quezon City on Dec 13, 2013. The INC said up to 50,000 people flocked to the event at the Quezon Memorial Circle, which is 10 minutes away from the Sandiganbayan-Litex area on normal days.

The event – which ran from 1 pm to 6 pm, shorter than the upcoming activity – caused a massive traffic jam. It forced many commuters to walk.

On Oct 14, 2013, the INC held a medical mission in Manila that also forced courts to cancel work. Local governments also suspended classes in the entire National Capital Region for the event held in Manila alone. – Rappler.com