Duterte gets 1.6m turnout in impeachment fight

More than a million members of an influential religious sect gathered in the Philippine capital yesterday, police said, opposing steps to unseat Vice President Sara Duterte.

Crowds wearing white shirts flocked to Quirino Grandstand for the "national rally for peace," organized by the conservative Iglesia ni Cristo, or Church of Christ.

The powerful sect opposes moves to impeach Duterte, a former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos, in the House of Representatives.

"There are many more things which our citizens need that must be attended to. These will not be achieved if all we see taking place is conflict," spokesman Edwil Zabala said ahead of the rally.

Schools, government offices and major roads were closed for the event, as police estimated the turnout at 1.6 million.

Lawmaker Rodante Marcoleta, an INC member and Duterte ally, said: "If a country is divided, it's the people who will suffer."

Duterte is facing three impeachment cases, which accuse her of misusing millions of dollars in public funds and of plotting to have Marcos assassinated. She has denied the allegations.

A Marcos spokesman called the rally "part of the national conversation."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE