10/05/2025
Why Not Endorse Good Leaders?
A Reflection on the INC’s Controversial Bloc Voting During Elections
‼️DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to disrespect or degrade any religion, especially the people involved in it. It simply reflects observations shared by many citizens who are concerned with the integrity of our electoral process.
It is widely known that the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), a religious group whose members regard their leader as the last messenger of God and the restorer of the true Church of Christ, openly promotes or endorses political candidates during elections. This is done as part of their so-called Doctrine of Unity, which, according to members, must not be disobeyed, or else there will be consequences.
It is true that every religious institution has its own internal rules, grounded in its doctrines. However, those rules are not universally binding outside their community. Ideally, religious rules should serve the common good: promoting personal virtue, social harmony, and the well-being of the broader society and nation.
Now, is INC truly an embodiment of the common good? Let us leave that question to its members' honest conscience.
However, if bloc voting is a rule within their group, why do people outside the religion criticize it? Do they have the right to question this belief? Yes, they do. Why? Because we are all Filipino citizens. We live in the same country, share the same government, and suffer the same consequences when poor leaders are elected. Regardless of religion, we are all co-responsible voters. Your vote does not only affect you, it affects us all.
To the members of INC: please understand that criticisms and questions about bloc voting are not rooted in hate, anger, or disrespect. Rather, they are challenges to your conscience, integrity, and moral responsibility. You claim to follow a good and just God, as many of us do. And surely, a just God desires justice, truth, and the common good for everyone, not only for a particular group.
So how is it that a religious group—whose founder is believed to be a messenger of God, can endorse politicians who are surrounded by controversy, have poor public track records, lack competence, and are undeserving of positions of power? Why?
Being God-fearing should never be separated from being patriotic. In fact, they should go hand in hand. You cannot claim to believe in God and then cast your vote for someone who steals, lies, or oppresses others.
So again, why not endorse good leaders?
Not perfect ones, because no one is perfect, but leaders who have proven their commitment to truth, public service, and the Filipino people. If your church upholds the values of faith, honesty, and righteousness, then it should reflect in your political choices. Otherwise, people have every reason to speak out.
That is why your church becomes controversial, not because of your faith, but because of the contradiction between your teachings and the actions you support. Religion is expected to uplift moral values, not compromise them. Don’t expect silence from others when what you do affects the morality of our nation. People are not attacking your faith, they are simply concerned about the values being promoted in God’s name.
