Thousands of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) members converged at the People Power Monument on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, for a protest that nearly paralyzed a portion of Edsa, a major Metro Manila thoroughfare, due to massive traffic congestion.
Police Estimate Crowd at 10,000
As of 10 a.m., the Philippine National Police (PNP) estimated the crowd along White Plains leading to Edsa at around 10,000, with nearly 1,000 more gathered at the Edsa Shrine in Ortigas and Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and Police Regional Offices 3 and 4A (Calabarzon) were placed under full alert status as the rally began around 4 a.m.
No Prior Coordination
NCRPO deployed nearly 6,000 police personnel along Edsa for crowd management. NCRPO Director Major General Anthony Aberin said in an interview that the protesters had no prior coordination with authorities, catching them by surprise. Police received intelligence about the planned action only around 12 a.m. Tuesday.
“Around 12 midnight, we received information about it, and we immediately prepared for deployment. We were able to deploy personnel as early as 3 a.m.; however, a large number of them arrived quickly and their numbers were overwhelming,” Aberin said in Tagalog. “We had been monitoring the situation, but we did not know the exact day they would come. Even before they arrived here, we had already received intelligence reports about it.”
Clash Erupts
Aberin added, “Our wish is for them to leave, but given their numbers, how can we do that? What we can do is appeal to them to maintain order and discipline within their ranks so that we can avoid any potential untoward incidents.” However, around 8:30 a.m., a clash reportedly erupted between police and protesters after several buses were moved to block the northbound lanes of Edsa, including the Edsa Carousel bus lane. Two individuals were arrested, and three police personnel were injured following a scuffle involving SWAT personnel.
Traffic Situation
As of posting time, only the Edsa Busway lane from Ortigas to Santolan remained passable, while protesters occupied the rest of the roadway. The Department of the Interior and Local Government reaffirmed its respect for the constitutional right to peacefully assemble and ordered the PNP to exercise maximum tolerance and implement appropriate security and traffic management measures.
