FACT CHECK: Video shows 2015 INC protest, not pro-Duterte rally
Claim: Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) members have flocked to EDSA for a rally in support of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the TikTok video posted on December 9 has accumulated 689,900 views, 27,100 likes, and 2,976 comments. It was posted by an account with 33,800 followers.
Text shown on the reel reads, “Nag-umpisa na ang rally ng INC sa EDSA (The rally by the INC at EDSA has begun). Support VP Sara.”
The video was posted amid the controversies surrounding the Vice President, who faces several impeachment complaints over her alleged misuse of public funds.
The facts: Contrary to the claim, the TikTok video does not show protesters gathering to support Duterte.
The clip shows a GMA News Online report about the INC protest in 2015 demanding the resignation of then-Department of Justice (DOJ) secretary Leila de Lima. INC members trooped to EDSA and denounced the DOJ’s investigation into the church’s leadership, who were embroiled in allegations of corruption and the alleged abduction of INC ministers.
The protests were launched after expelled INC minister Isaias Samson Jr. filed an illegal detention case against INC leaders.
INC and Duterte: In December 2024, the INC announced through its channel Net 25 that it would hold a rally in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s pronouncements that he would not back impeachment efforts against Duterte. The church endorsed the two during the 2022 national elections.
Both camps have courted the support of the influential homegrown church. Duterte and her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, made separate visits to INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo on October 1 and 10, 2024, respectively. Marcos, meanwhile, visited Manalo two days shy of the latter’s 69th birthday on October 31, 2024. Marcos also declared the founding anniversary of the INC on July 27, 2025, as a special non-working day.
Support from the INC is highly sought after by politicians as the church’s members have been known to vote according to the church leadership’s endorsements during elections.
Debunked: This is not the first time mass gatherings and rallies have been falsely presented as shows of support for Duterte.
The embattled vice president is currently facing three impeachment complaints: the first filed last December 2 by a coalition of organizations, the second filed on December 4 by left-leaning organizations with the House of Representatives, and the third filed on December 19 by Catholic priests.
Rappler has previously debunked false posts misrepresenting various gatherings as pro-Duterte protests:
- FACT CHECK: Video shows 2016 protest in South Korea, not pro-Duterte INC rally
- FACT CHECK: No INC statement backing VP Sara Duterte’s outburst vs Marcos
- FACT CHECK: No rally in New York opposing impeachment bids vs Sara Duterte
– Ramon Franco Verano/Rappler.com
Ramon Franco Verano is a graduate of Rappler’s volunteer program. He is a fourth year History student at the University of Santo Tomas. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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