The Luneta rally today is a brazen attempt by its leaders and organizers to derail the Filipino people’s quest to attain justice for high crimes of corruption and mass killings perpetrated by former President Rodrigo Duterte and current Vice President Sara Duterte.

They raised the deceptive call for “peace” to obscure their real intention of using the rally as political leverage to intimidate those seeking to impeach Sara Duterte, while trying to curry favors from candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

The rally organizers spent hundreds of millions of pesos to provide transportation, as well as overnight hotel and other accommodations to the participants. Participants are obligated by their religious affiliation to join the rally, although many among them are aware how they are being exploited as pawns in this cynical game of power and corruption being played by big bureaucrat capitalists.

Leaders of the Iglesia ni Cristo are notorious political opportunists who support and connive with bureaucrat capitalists. They have a history of colluding with the Duterte tyranny and were favored by Duterte. Similarly, they supported the Marcos Sr martial law regime and received vast favors from the dictatorship. They also staged demonstrations in 2001 as a show of force for ousted president Joseph Estrada.

By expressing his support for the Luneta rally, Marcos Jr—who has been consolidating power to push the Dutertes out of power—reiterated his position against the plan by various democratic groups to push the impeachment of Sara Duterte. In doing so, he has further isolated his regime from the broad masses of the people, who are growing increasingly restless over constantly rising prices, low wages and widespread joblessness under his regime.

In the face of these attempts by the big corrupt politicians and their cronies to drown the demand for justice, the Filipino people must strengthen their unity to raise their voices and push for their demand to impeach Sara Duterte, and to arrest and try Rodrigo Duterte, in order to hold them accountable to the people.