A House leader on Sunday viewed the Iglesia ni Cristo’s (INC) rally as an attempt to shield Vice President Sara Duterte from accountability over corruption allegations in connection with her P612.5 million confidential funds.

Over a million are expected to converge at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s opposition to the impeachment complaints against the country’s second-highest leader.

While some INC members maintain that the rally is focused on promoting “peace and unity” within the government, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro argued that it is a “calculated move to protect Duterte from facing serious allegations regarding the misuse of confidential funds.”

“No rally can erase the fact that government officials must be held accountable for their actions. The millions of Filipinos supporting impeachment are demanding justice and accountability, not political theatrics. There can be no real peace without justice,” said ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, one of the lawmakers who endorsed the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In response, Sagip Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, an INC member and staunch Duterte ally, told the Daily Tribune that Castro “has no right or standing to pass judgment” on the INC’s rally, regardless of its objectives.

“The INC has nothing to gain from supporting anyone, including VP Sara. If the Office of the Vice President has something to answer for, the Makabayan bloc should have taken the issue to court, as they have done in the past,” Marcoleta said in a statement.