FACT CHECK: Iglesia ni Cristo EDSA rally drew thousands, not millions, of participants

Claim: Millions of people joined the June 30 protest of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) in support of embattled Senator Rodante Marcoleta.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was posted on June 30 by Bisdak Pilipinas, which has a following of 165,000. The post, as of writing, has gained more than 23,000 reactions, 2,900 comments, and 5,000 shares.

The video features a drone shot from Sonshine Media Network International showing a massive crowd in the INC-led protest. The narrator then commends the protesters who showed up despite the rainy weather. 

“Kahit umulan po, tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang dagsa. Maaga pa ho ‘yan ah, maaga. So ngayon, malamang nasa isang milyon na ang tao diyan,” he says.

(Despite the rain, the crowd has kept on coming. This was taken earlier. So now, for sure, there are around one million people there.)

Text overlaid on the video reads, “Milyon milyon na! Dumagsa sa EDSA (Millions have flocked to EDSA)!”

Comments from supporters of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. criticized the narrator, claiming that the video was recycled and “fake news.”

The facts: The June 30 INC protest around parts of EDSA in Quezon City did not reach a million people, and neither did the July 1 protest in the same area nor the July 2 rally in Manila.

The surprise rally, which was held without a permit from the local government, began early morning of June 30, causing heavy traffic at EDSA and White Plains in Quezon City. According to city police, attendance peaked at over 15,000 people at 9 pm on Tuesday, while there were an estimated 10,000 attendees as of 7:20 pm on the second day of the protest on July 1.

The crowd called out the alleged “selective justice” of the Marcos administration as they rallied in support of Marcoleta, who faces plunder charges over undeclared campaign donations.

“Ang ipinagtataka namin ay kung bakit siya — na nagsusulong sa pag-expose ng mga sangkot sa napakalaking pagnanakaw sa Pilipinas — ang kakasuhan at ipakukulong sa halip sa mga na-expose,” INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said in a Net25 live broadcast.

(What confuses us is why he — the one pushing to expose those allegedly involved in this massive corruption scheme in the Philippines — is the one being charged and threatened with imprisonment, instead of those who were exposed.)

“Sinusuportahan ng Iglesia ni Cristo ang itinataguyod ni Senator Marcoleta dahil ito rin ang posisyon namin. Nananawagan kami para sa transparency, accountability, justice, and peace,” he added.

(Iglesia ni Cristo is supporting what Senator Marcoleta is promoting because this is our stance as well. We’re calling for transparency, accountability, justice, and peace.)

The INC continued its third day of protest at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila on Thursday, July 2, after the Quezon City government revoked the rally permit for the religious group. Attendance peaked at around 8,200 people as of  8 pm, according to the Manila Police District.

Marcoleta’s plunder charges: On Friday, July 3, the Ombudsman filed a plunder case against Marcoleta over allegedly undeclared campaign donations.

Marcoleta faces questions over his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures where he declared a net worth of P51 million, yet spent P112 million during his 2025 senatorial campaign.

The senator, who later disclosed receiving P75 million in campaign donations, argued that he received the donations before the start of the campaign period.

Earlier, Marcoleta said he is prepared to go to jail if charges are filed against him. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com

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