‘#KakampINC’ Trends as Iglesia Ni Cristo Members Reject Church’s BBM-Sara Endorsement

admin May 04, 2022

With the elections only a few days away, candidates and their supporters alike continue to dominate social media with discourses and arguments. One that stood out today is the hashtag “KakampINC”, which has been on the list of trending topics since yesterday. So what does this hashtag mean and why is it trending?

 

INC endorses Marcos-Duterte tandem

On May 3, Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) officially declared their support for the presidential bid of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., along with his running mate Sara Carpio Duterte. The announcement was made just shy of a week from the elections on the primetime evening news program of INC-owned NET 25.


They also endorsed 12 senatorial candidates. Nine of the endorsed senatorial candidates belong to the slate of Marcos Jr. and Duterte, namely: Alan Peter Cayetano, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Sherwin Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, Robin Padilla, Joel Villanueva, Mark Villar and Juan Miguel Zubiri. The line up is completed with Jejomar Binay, Guillermo Eleazar and Francis Escudero.

 

INC’s history of bloc voting

With over 2.6 million members (as of the 2015 census), the Iglesia ni Cristo is an independent Christian church known for its practice of bloc voting during Philippine elections.

During the campaign season of every election, candidates have paid a visit to the leaders of Iglesia ni Cristo, especially those running for national positions. In a sense, this visit is part of what is basically the candidates courting the INC’s officials to secure the votes of their nearly 3 million members, which is usually a helpful headstart for most candidates.

In the last two national elections, the Iglesia ni Cristo supported and bloc-voted for the presidential bids of Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (2010) and Rodrigo Duterte (2016), both of which they won. However, the vice-presidential candidates that Iglesia ni Cristo supported in 2010 and 2016 — Mar Roxas and Bongbong Marcos, respectively — both lost, despite the endorsement.

 

Why does INC vote as one?

For followers of the religion, it’s a simple explanation: bloc voting is a show of “pagkakaisa” or unity, an important part of the doctrine of Iglesia ni Cristo. Those who do not join this bloc vote are said to be excommunicated from the religion.

“The unity of Iglesia is recognized by its members as one of the teachings of the Bible that should be followed,” the NET 25 anchor said upon announcing this year’s endorsement. “The decision of the Iglesia leadership is respected by its members. The politicians, meanwhile, recognize the help that the Iglesia unity may offer to their candidacy on election day.”

 

Some INC members are disappointed


Following the announcement of the endorsement, members of the religious sect spoke up on social media to show their support for another candidate.


In open defiance of the unity doctrine and bloc voting practice, most of these netizens expressed support for Vice President Leni Robredo. Such posts quickly went viral, and the hashtag #KakampINC started trending. The hashtag is a play on the word Kakampink, the nickname of Robredo’s supporters.

 

Non-INC netizens express thanks


With the posts going viral and the hashtag trending, others are showing support for the INC members who have openly gone against the church’s endorsement. Some have even created social media banners as a show of support.

 

Others come to the INC’s defense

After the outpour of open defiance, other Iglesia ni Cristo members have also gone on social media to stand by their church leaders’ decisions.


They are also asking non-INC netizens to respect their religion and refrain from throwing hateful words.

 

A few netizens are asking INC to explain

One netizen hopes the religious sect can explain its endorsement in order to better understand where they’re coming from.

 

A call to respect one another

No one can deny that this election season has been one of the most heated in recent times, especially among supporters. Some netizens are asking one another to stop throwing insults and hateful words. Whether you follow the church leaders’ endorsement or you’re a KakampINC, it’s best to treat one another with respect.


It’s important to remember that, as Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez has previously said, no one else can read a voter’s ballot but its owner. So on May 9, you should vote for the candidate you believe should win for the good of the Filipinos.

The post ‘#KakampINC’ Trends as Iglesia Ni Cristo Members Reject Church’s BBM-Sara Endorsement appeared first on 8List.ph.



‘#KakampINC’ Trends as Iglesia Ni Cristo Members Reject Church’s BBM-Sara Endorsement
Source: Pinoy News Anchor
Tags

Post a Comment

0 Comments