The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) has continued its organized protests into a second day, centered on accusations of corruption within the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration. While the group officially frames the rally as a push for government transparency and accountability, it is widely viewed as a tactical defense of Senator Rodante Marcoleta, a prominent INC member currently facing plunder charges. Marcoleta, who previously spearheaded probes into alleged kickbacks involving the President and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, now finds himself on the defensive after admitting to receiving P75 million from private donors—a move that authorities claim violates anti-plunder laws regarding undisclosed income for public officials.

The legal and political stakes are rising as the Office of the Ombudsman prepares to move against the senator, a charge that carries a sentence of life imprisonment and no possibility of bail. Should Marcoleta be arrested, he would be automatically disqualified from serving as a judge in Vice President Sara Duterte’s upcoming impeachment trial. Analysts suggest this timing is far from coincidental, arguing that the administration may be weaponizing the judiciary to manipulate the Senate composition ahead of the impeachment proceedings. Meanwhile, critics, including the progressive group Bayan, have labeled the INC's demonstrations as hypocritical, arguing that the church is attempting to shield its own member from the very standards of justice it demands others follow.