The Iglesia Ni Cristo continues to draw thousands to its ‘Lingap sa Mamamayan’ program, this time with 160,000 trooping to the Quirino Grandstand for the latest edition of the homegrown Church’s worldwide outreach program.
According to INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr., the success of the Lingap sa Mamamayan was a testament to the vision of Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, who had directed the Church to take an active role in combating poverty here and abroad.
“The Church has always been guided by its desire to use its resources in a way that benefits our communities,” said Santos.
“We believe it is the right thing to do, because no matter where we are from and what we believe in, we should remember that we are our brother’s keeper,” he added.
Participants of the Lingap were provided food parcels and free medical and dental services and free laboratory tests such as complete blood count, random blood sugar testing, blood typing, urinalysis, and pregnancy testing.
Also provided free of charge were specialized medical services dealing with internal medicine, pediatrics, and OB-gynecology. Diagnostic equipment such as mobile x-rays, 2D echo, ultrasound, and electrocardiogram (ECG) machines were made available to those in the Quirino Grandstand. Two mini-hospitals, each equipped with an operating room, were also set up for minor surgical procedures such as warts and cysts removal, as well as circumcision.
Reading glasses were also distributed for free, as well as medicines for hypertension, diabetes, coughs and colds, fever, and antibiotics. In addition to this, wheelchairs and quad canes were also given to those present. A Bible exposition rounded out the event.
Lingap sa Mamamayan activities have been organized and staged not just in the Philippines but in the United States, Canada, Northern and Southern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and key areas in the Middle East including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
The INC recently finished a series of Lingap sa Mamamayan activities in Africa, distributed food parcels in Kibera and Kawangware in Nairobi, Kenya last month. It also held similar projects in Blantyre and Samama Village Mangochi in Malawi in the same period. Church officials revealed that an estimated 33,000 people received assistance.
These activities come on the heels of the success of the INC’s Worldwide Walk Against Poverty held last May. The INC activity drew over one million people in Manila and was conducted simultaneously in 358 sites across 44 different countries. The record-shattering INC activity broke three Guinness world records: the largest charity walk in a single venue, with 238,171 INC members taking part in the event along Roxas Boulevard in Manila; the longest human sentence, with 23,235 participants; and the largest picture mosaic, formed by 9,000 INC members.
