On the February 28 Grand Evangelical Mission.

I know it is a bit late, but let me tell you my insights about the so-called "rally" of our brethren -- the INC.

I don’t care when people complain (with a curse) that we caused a hell lot of traffic in our Grand Evangelical Mission (GEM) last February 28. That’s the truth. But, had these people listened to the news days before, there were advisories and re-routing schemes.  And, had they known that this big event happens rarely (maybe just once a year), they might try to be considerate. But yes, I still understand all the curses and foul words that they directed to INC via Facebook. It just makes me proud that never, in my entire Christian life, did I say "f*ck" or "sh*t" or whatever hate words if I’m caught in a real bad traffic because of other religion’s processions / events / gatherings.

I don’t care when people tell us that we left a lot of kalat in the streets. In my case, I am not guilty. We had a big, black trash bag at the back of our car, and it was filled with our own garbage, which, was properly disposed. And I know and I saw that my fellow brethren did the same, as an act of discipline. But perhaps in a multitude of a million people, it’s safe to say that litter is inevitable. So, I am sorry, if we indeed left some trash behind. But I think it might interest the public to know that we got a couple of clean-up drives and tree-planting projects in almost all our locales every now and then. Do you really want to talk about love for environment here?

I don’t care when people tell that we were paid five hundred pesos to join the GEM. I seriously laughed upon reading that comment in Yahoo. I cut my classes that day, lined up for almost an hour just to use the public restroom, and walked from Vito Cruz to Luneta under the scorching heat of the sun. My brothers and sisters from the provinces most probably did the same – only they traveled much longer. All for five hundred pesos? That’s baloney.

I don’t care when people insist that the gathering was a show of force. After all, two million people flocked in a single area are a clear manifestation of a strong, unified force.

I don’t care when people, particularly from the media, so relentlessly spices up their news by always adding a political angle to the event. I mean, is there a rally with a choir as seen above? If you were there, or you watched the live stream, you’re sure to know that it’s a plain bible exposition. I want to especially mention this to De Quiros: I don’t care when you tell that our GEM is a farce. I pity you instead. You talk about things that you don’t have the slightest idea of. 

I don’t care when the enraged commuters last February 28, as manifested by word wars in the online world, so blatantly said that all INC members deserve to die. If that would ease their burdens for the inconvenience we have caused them, so be it. After all, in the end we’re all going to die – the first death. It’s the second death that matters, if you know what I mean.

But one comment really got into me. A Facebook user said: Iglesia ni Cristo idiots are vote prostitutes. Well, that’s simply below the belt. And I can’t afford not to care. That’s why I am writing this.

I don’t cringe at the word idiot. It’s the ‘vote prostitutes’ which hurt. Whoever you are, and for the rest of the world who thinks the same, fine. That’s your opinion. Let me just tell you mine. And let me give you also some facts.

We don’t do block voting to support a particular political aspirant. There are instances when we don’t vote a candidate for a certain position at all (yes, we cross out the blanks in the ballots). We vote as one to show the unity of our brotherhood, and that has a biblical basis. The success of INC, as manifested by its million members in a predominantly Catholic country, its thousand modern house of worships which are scattered around the archipelago, its global expansion to all the continents (except Antartica perhaps) – can NEVER be attributed to any elected official or politician. It is obviously God’s hands at work.

One can never, ever understand all of these, unless he is willing to understand. Are you? Then, I am inviting you to attend one of our GEMs.

-Robynne Albaniel