The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) rally at the EDSA People Power Monument and White Plains Avenue entered its second day on Wednesday, July 1, drawing at least 6,000 protesters and again causing traffic congestion along one of Metro Manila’s busiest roads.
Based on the latest crowd estimate from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), at least 6,000 people were gathered at the rally site as of 12 noon.
Many of the protesters stayed overnight in their vehicles, tents, and sleeping mats before the rally resumed early Wednesday morning. Sound systems at the protest area began playing at around 5:30 a.m.
As of 5:20 a.m., only two northbound lanes of EDSA remained passable to motorists, while all lanes of White Plains Avenue leading to EDSA were closed.
Parked vehicles of rally participants and law enforcement personnel also continued to occupy at least two northbound lanes from Ortigas Avenue to Gate 3 of Camp Aguinaldo.
The protest, which began Tuesday, was organized in support of Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who is facing an impending plunder case over an alleged ₱75-million donation made before his 2025 senatorial campaign.
Despite a permit issued by the Quezon City government for the second day of the rally, tension erupted in separate incidents at the protest site.
In one incident, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin angrily confronted a protester who repeatedly tried to cross the police barricade, which served as the designated boundary for demonstrators at the EDSA People Power Monument.
In another incident, a motorcycle rider was left visibly distressed after he allegedly became trapped in the middle of the protest.
The rider claimed he was surrounded by rally participants, heckled, cursed at, threatened with death, and later had the key to his motorcycle taken.
The first day of the rally also caused heavy traffic, with only one northbound lane of EDSA passable during the morning rush hour and congestion spilling over to the southbound lanes.
Under the permit issued by the Quezon City government, the rally is allowed only along White Plains Avenue from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the condition that no major roads should be blocked during the protest.