TACLOBAN CITY — The Catholic Church, through the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and its social action arm Caritas Philippines, has distanced itself from the three-day anti-corruption rally organized by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) set on 16 to 18 November at the Quirino Grandstand.

In a strongly worded statement written in Waray and released Thursday, Caritas-Borongan said the CBCP and Caritas Philippines “condemn” any participation or expression of support for the INC-led rally.

The Catholic groups also warned the public to be cautious of false information online, stressing that any social media post claiming support from Catholic organizations for the gathering is untrue.

They added that the CBCP and Caritas Philippines will maintain neutrality and focus their pastoral efforts on assisting victims of typhoons “Tino” and “Uwan.”

Earlier, INC spokesperson Brother Edwil Zabala said non-members are welcome to join the rally, which he described as a call for “transparency, accountability, justice and peace.”

“This November 16 to 18 rally is not to interfere in politics but to express our sentiment and lend the voice of the Iglesia Ni Cristo to the calls of many of our countrymen condemning the enormous evil involving many government officials,” Zabala said.

He said the INC is appealing to the government to conduct a just and open investigation into the anomaly, hold perpetrators accountable, and recover public funds lost to corruption.