QUEZON CITY, Philippines —Thousands more members of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) streamed toward the People Power Monument (PPM) and surrounding areas along White Plains Avenue on Wednesday as the church’s demonstration entered another day, prompting heightened security while Malacañang reiterated that it respects peaceful assembly but warned organizers against allowing “destabilizers” to exploit the gathering.

Vice President Sara Duterte's latest assessment of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) rally raises an uncomfortable constitutional and political question—not only for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., but for the Vice President herself.

"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21) Few biblical passages have shaped Christian political thought as profoundly as Jesus Christ's answer to the Pharisees. When asked whether Jews should pay taxes to the Roman Empire, Jesus neither endorsed political rebellion nor surrendered religious authority to the State. Instead, He drew a distinction that has echoed through centuries of constitutional thought: civil government has legitimate authority over temporal affairs, while God alone exercises authority over matters of faith. Every Christian denomination has interpreted that boundary differently. Some churches avoid politics almost entirely. Others openly campaign for public policies. Still others reserve political action for moments when they believe the State has encroached on religious territory. The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) belongs largely to this third tradition. Its recent mass mobilizations have revived an old question: Is the INC becoming increasingly political, or has political engagement always been part of its understanding of church-state relations?