We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.
— Benjamin Franklin

MAYPAJO, Caloocan City — Last Monday’s Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) rally may not be a 'political event' as it called for unity and peace, but among the messages it sent touched on the impeachment moves against Vice President 'Inday' Sara Duterte-Carpio, which our beloved President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. does not approve.

INC’s appeal for the government to implement effective and orderly service and a resolution to poverty, which has worsened due to natural calamities and rampant corruption in government and even the private sector, and counting aside the nagging problem of criminality and conflict in politics.

In truth, our perception of the impeachment complaint against VP Sara will be a waste of the government’s time, particularly the legislative responsibilities of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

And not only this, it will likewise hinder the resolution of the country’s many major problems such as the rising cost of prime commodities, low-quality of education, infrastructure and housing backlogs, lack of medical and healthcare services, unemployment, security issues and many others.

Advancing the impeachment will only end up with our people losing more and prompting them to take sides, which will only end in divisiveness in a country already fragmented by its geophysical character. One lawmaker describes it clearly—when the country is troubled the people are poor.

And we look into the House Quad Committee’s probe into illegal drugs, illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and alleged extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the previous administration during the previous administration of then President Rodrigo 'Rody' Duterte (FPRRD).

The process of the mega panel in handling testimonies heard during the hearings instead of being beneficial to the legislative agenda of Congress only led to conflict among our government officials—another reality of divisiveness.

And there is the House committee on good government and public accountability’s investigation into the alleged misuse of confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of EDUCATION (DepEd) under the watch of FPRRDD’s daughter.

Questionably, although the Iglesia's leadership insisted that their peace rally was apolitical, it still showed where they stand—in defense of the Dutertes.
But INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala argued that this view delves on "a question of perspective" and "a question of opinion."

Zabala insisted that the 'National Rally of Peace' wasn’t political, saying it was very practical.
He even urged people to forgive one another, unite and achieve peace. But can they say this to the families and relatives of EJKs, who are still asking for justice?

We hope the INC can expound on this and also give a miniscule of respect to the many others who belong to a faith that opposes their teachings. Hopefully, things will get better when we start what we preach inside our homes.

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