THE Iglesia Ni Cristo successfully held simultaneous Lingap sa Mamamayan outreach activities last Oct. 29, in what was planned as the Church’s largest and farthest-reaching socio-civic initiative in its history.
This Lingap program, which provided livelihood and assistance programs to needy but deserving communities, was held to celebrate the 62nd birthday of Executive Minister Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo on Oct. 31.
Free medical and dental clinics were held together with distribution of “goodie bags” in 106 locations nationwide spread all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and in several areas in Asia, Europe, America and Africa.
“Lingap’s continuing aim is to provide real and concrete assistance to local communities here and abroad. We work together with local stakeholders in uplifting people’s lives. As we build relationships with communities, we also strengthen our relationship with God,” Bro. Glicerio B. Santos Jr. emphasized.
The largest Lingap ever kicked off with outreach programs in Barangay Maharlika in Taguig City and Barangay Culiat in Quezon City, with a combined number of 40 doctors and 30 dentists providing free clinics and consultations. More than 100,000 “goodie bags” were distributed in both venues.
Aside from Lingap programs held all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, outreach missions were likewise conducted in several parts of the USA and Canada, northern and southern Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Cambodia and various areas in the Middle East including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
An estimated 400,000 “goodie bags” overall were distributed in the country alone.
Santos credited Lingap’s success to Executive Minister Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo’s leadership, which was focused on further strengthening the INC’s socio-civic character.
“Lingap, which we accomplish through the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, does not choose whether those we help are INC members or not. The need to provide assistance to our brethren is universal, just as the fight against poverty is universal. We’re actually very thankful for this opportunity to be of assistance,” Santos emphasized.
The INC official pointed out Lingap’s other notable achievements, such as when it entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 2015 for four new world records during a historic “Aid to Humanity” Lingap outreach and charity event in Tondo, where 17,000 all-new pairs of shoes and 200,000 clean pieces of used clothing were given away for free.
“We continue to build on our Lingap successes. Each one becomes an inspiration and building block for future programs. We always strive to be better because the challenge to help always gets bigger,” Santos said.