Marcos greets INC leader Eduardo Manalo on his 71st birthday

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Saturday greeted Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo on his 71st birthday, expressing support for their shared goal of a peaceful and united Philippines.

“Maligayang kaarawan po kay Kapatid na Eduardo V. Manalo, Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan ng Iglesia ni Cristo!” Marcos said in a Facebook post on his official page.(Happy birthday to Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo!)“Nawa’y patuloy kayong pagkalooban ng Panginoong Diyos ng mabuting kalusugan, lakas, at karunungan sa inyong pamumuno at paglilingkod,” he added.(May the Lord God continue to bless you with good health, strength and wisdom as you lead and serve.)

Marcos also expressed solidarity with Manalo’s aspirations for the country.

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“Kasama ninyo kami sa hangaring magkaroon ng isang mapayapa, nagkakaisa, at maunlad na Pilipinas,” Marcos said.

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(We stand with you in aspiring for a peaceful, united and prosperous Philippines.)

The Iglesia ni Cristo, which is known for its practice of bloc voting, endorsed Marcos and his running mate, Sara Duterte, in the 2022 national elections.

The INC also backed Marcos’ unsuccessful vice presidential bid in 2016.

In September 2023, Marcos appointed Manalo as his special envoy for overseas Filipino concerns for a term that ended on Sept. 1, 2024.

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Manalo held the same position during the Duterte administration from January 2018 to January 2019.

Marcos also visited Manalo at the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Office in Quezon City in October 2024, accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, ahead of the religious leader’s 69th birth anniversary. / gsg