Command Vote

[chua_riwap]

It's 6-5-1 for INC

The influential religious group, Iglesia ni Cristo, has endorsed the senatorial bids of six candidates from the administration, five from the opposition and an independent bet, ABS-CBN News learned Wednesday.

Sources from the INC identified the twelve as Team Unity’s Michael Defensor, Ralph Recto, Joker Arroyo, Vicente Sotto III, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Edgardo Angara; Genuine Opposition’s Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Villar and Benigno Aquino III; and independent Francis Pangilinan.

A DZMM report said Recto and Zubiri thanked the INC’s leadership for the endorsement during TU’s grand rally or miting de avance in Davao City.

INC, which claims to have two million members of voting age, is noted for its bloc voting in Philippine elections. This is in part due to their doctrine on unity, which puts the penalty of expulsion on anyone found to sway from the doctrine.

This command vote is considered a vote that could determine the fate of a candidate. Some reports attributed the victory of Joseph Estrada in 1998 presidential elections and the re-election of President Arroyo in 2004 to INC’s bloc voting.

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Epektibo ba talaga ang command votes? Bakit si JIL's Bro. Eddie Villanueva, during the 2004 Pres. Elections, he claimed that he has 10M followers nationwide, pero kulelat naman sa election.

[Syuryuken]

Yan ang hindi ko kursunada sa INC parang tumatanaw din sila ng utang na loob sa mga may nagawa sa kanilang "kabutihan" hindi katulad ng mga Katoliko na base sa "kunsensiya" kung sino ang iboboto.

Pero yung iba talagang miyembro hindi nila sinusunod kaya kahit endorsed sila ng INC hindi pa rin sila makakasigurado.

[j_avonni]

2 million members of voting age (assuming all are registered) is less than 5% of the total registered voters of about 44 million.

Ang maganda dito, you would only convince 1 person (or a group) to get the 2 million votes.

[XTO]

well, dapat sundin nila kunsensya nila pra naman malugod ang Diyos Ama sa
kanila. IMO

[mazdamazda]

I am never a believer in this "religious" endorsements. But that's their life.

[nicolodeon]

I've a couple of friends who are INC members. According to them, they are not strictly required to "block vote". They said that they're still given the freedom to choose but most of them do follow INC leadership endorsements. This was in the news last night and according to statisticias and analysist, only 80% of INC members who are in voting age follow "block voting".