The meeting ends past 1 am, Monday
INC 'DEVELOPMENTS.' President Benigno Aquino III convenes his cabinet late evening Sunday, August 30.
On the third night of Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) protests on EDSA Sunday, August 30, President Benigno Aquino III called for a meeting with senior Cabinet officials and police and military generals to tackle options on how to best deal with the situation.
One Cabinet
Secretary has been in talks with INC representatives and their discussions were
part of the agenda during Sunday night’s meeting at Bahay Pangarap, the
President’s official residence in Malacañang, Rappler learned.
INC's
representative in the talks is its politicial liaison officer, Erano “Erdz”
Codera, according to another Palace source.
Among those in
the meeting, which started at 8 pm and ended past 1 am, Monday, August 31, were
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Budget
Secretary Florencio Abad, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia, Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima, and National Police chief Director General Ricardo
Marquez.
The sense is that
“this could be settled amicably,” said one Palace official who attended the
meeting.
But speeches
Sunday evening did not indicate that the Iglesia members were backing down. The
INC announced that thousands of its members are expected to hold similar
protests in Bacolod and Davao
The INC is
protesting alleged government interference in internal matters following a
justice department probe into complaints lodged by an expelled Iglesia
minister. But the investigation is in its early stages yet.
The complaint was
triggered by allegations that INC leaders have been harassing some members who
have been questioning certain policies and actions by the leadership. The
public rift in July caused the worst crisis to hit the influential religious
organization.
The protest began
last Thursday, August 27, in front of the Department of Justice building in Manila
Waiting for
Monday
The local
government of Mandaluyong extended the deadline
for the INC rally permit, allowing them to stay in the area up to Monday
morning, which is a public holiday.
INC members are
supposed to head to Manila Monday, where they
were given a permit to hold rallies until Friday, September 4.
Weekend traffic
came almost to a halt in the Pasig
Late Sunday
afternoon, more members of the INC from nearby provinces arrived in EDSA to
join the thousands already crowding the streets. Similar protests will be held
in the cities of Cebu and Davao
Sources said the
INC asked for De Lima's resignation. The President reportedly rejected it.
But talks with
Codera continue, according to a Palace source.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/104250-aquino-cabinet-inc-protests
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.