MANILA, Philippines - Around two million people gathered at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan to mark the 100th anniversary yesterday of the Iglesia ni Cristo, showcasing the church’s discipline and influence and, at the same time, setting two new world records.
Spokesman Edwil Zabala said the 55,000-seat arena in Ciudad de Victoria was certified as the world’s biggest mixed-use theater and the INC’s 4,745-member choir declared the world’s largest by an adjudicator from Guinness Records.
It eclipsed the previous record of 1,700 choir members held by the US. The INC said a total of 10,000 members prepared to join the choir.
Some of the faithful waited overnight in the pouring rain to attend the centennial celebration in an event designed to showcase the religion’s stunning success at home and abroad.
Government officials monitoring the gathering estimated that 1.6 to two million people gathered for the INC centennial, packing out a massive new arena built to mark the occasion and the nearby 20,000-seat Philippine Stadium, as well as huge tents erected on the grounds for the event.
Millions of INC members nationwide and in more than 100 countries watched executive minister Eduardo Manalo give his homily at the centennial celebration via live video streaming.
Manalo told the faithful that the swift completion of the new Philippine Arena was proof of the group’s divine support.
“The Philippine Arena was finished in two years and nine months when it should have taken five years. This is the work of God,” he said.
Manalo also hailed the INC’s phenomenal growth in the last 100 years.
From 2009 to 2014, a total of 603 new INC churches were built: 552 in the Philippines and the rest abroad, he added.
Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Raul Petrasanta said about two million people attended the INC centennial celebration, which was generally peaceful.
“Although due to the expected large number of buses and light vehicles, heavy traffic was experienced NLEX northbound starting Valenzuela to Bocaue stretch causing a standstill of vehicles northbound going to Ciudad de Victoria, totally blocking the four lane road thereby (forcing) use of two lanes southbound as zipper lanes for northbound vehicles,” he said.
Petrasanta said the Central Luzon police maximized efforts at traffic management.
“Parking and security deployment were done to make sure that our tasks will be successful with minimal incidents, while maintaining our anti criminality campaign in the whole area of Central Luzon,” he said.
Some huge buses that brought and fetched INC members stationed along MacArthur Highway caused the flow of traffic to slow down.
Hundreds of INC members were seen waiting for their ride along the stretch of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) near Bocaue exits both northbound and southbound.
The northbound lane was completely blocked since yesterday morning.
On the southbound lane, two counter-flow lanes were opened and vehicle speed was reduced to less than 20 kilometers per hour before noon.
Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino, Task Force Sentenaryo head, estimated at least two million INC members participated in the celebration at Ciudad de Victoria.
Heavy traffic along NLEX started late Saturday afternoon, which delayed northbound motorists.
Some bus passengers interviewed by The STAR late Saturday night said that it took them two hours to reach Malolos from Balintawak toll plaza in Quezon City.
Hundreds of thousands of people started to gather at Ciudad de Victoria on Saturday afternoon. They endured the heavy downpour early Saturday evening and were treated to a 25-minute fireworks display before midnight.
Traffic went from bad to worse by noontime yesterday as the northbound lane of NLEX from Marilao to Bocaue toll plaza was completely blocked.
Buses and private vehicles were parked along the NLEX’s northbound lane.