President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (RTVM)
"Let's keep everything stable and peaceful."
President Marcos made this request to the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) amid their ongoing rally along EDSA.
As Marcos departed for Canada on Wednesday night, July 1, he expressed confidence that the religious group would uphold peace during their demonstration in Quezon City, citing their previous rallies which "never caused trouble."
So, he asked them to keep the protest peaceful and stable, despite claims that it would be intensified.
"Well, you know, anyone can hold a rally. And so, they held a rally. And, ako malakas ang loob ko kasi sa buong kasaysayan ang Iglesia, pag nag-rally, kahit napakarami, hindi sila nanggugulo (And I am confident because, throughout its history, whenever the Iglesia has held rallies, no matter how large the crowds were, they have never caused trouble)," Marcos said when asked in an ambush interview if the ongoing protest concerns him.
He further said that what concerned him more was the possibility that people might get hurt during the rally.
The President revealed that he was made aware that some people might "infiltrate" the rally to cause trouble.
"And that for me was the main concern that somebody might get hurt. Ang problema lang namin is that merong impormasyon na siyempre merong mga, mag-infiltrate, mag-agitate. Yun ang inaalala namin (The only issue was that we received information that some people might infiltrate the gathering and stir up trouble. That was what we were worried about)," Marcos said.
"Ang pinaka-importante sa amin, walang masaktan. Either tiga-iglesia o kung sino man na mapunta ron na manggulo (What's important for us was to make sure that no one got hurt, whether they were members of the Iglesia or anyone else who might go there to cause trouble)," Marcos added.
So far, Marcos said, the rally has been peaceful, and he thanked everyone involved "for keeping it safe for everybody."
Meanwhile, the President was also sought for reaction on the allegations that his administration is enforcing "selective justice."
He just shrugged them off and refuted them, saying: "It's their opinion, I believe they're wrong."