MANILA — Special Assistant to the President Bong Go on Sunday joined the “Worldwide Walk to Fight Poverty”, a charity walk of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC or Church Of Christ) in Manila.
Representing President Rodrigo Duterte, Sec. Go ambled with the crowd as he commended the INC’s effort, which complements the Duterte administration’s goal of reducing the poverty rate by 25 percent in three years.
Go said he came to support INC because the church has time and again proven its heart for service.
“Alam naman natin na ang INC ay may pusong tumulong sa kapwa Pilipino. Kaya po kami nandito para makiisa na sana manalo kayo so I think merong Guinness Book of Records dito…hopefully (We all know that INC has a big heart in helping fellow Filipinos. We are here to join and I think, hopefully, it will be written in the Guinness Book of Records),” Sec. Go said in an interview.
“Gusto ko lang pong makiisa sa inyo at masayang masaya ako na nakikita ung mga tao na nakangiting naglalakad.Join lang po ako, (I would like to join you and I’m so happy to see the smiles of the people who are walking)” he added.
In a milestone attempt to surpass its own Guinness World Record four years ago for the largest charitable walk in 24 hours, INC and Felix Manalo Foundation (FYM) Inc. mustered the support of the Office of the President for its “Worldwide Walk” to Fight Poverty, simultaneously held in 358 areas in 44 different countries.
This is the second time the INC conducted such event.
In 2014, the first INC charity walk benefitted victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the strongest typhoon recorded in history.
This also helped raise funds for the INC’s first resettlement and eco-farming community in Leyte.
Proceeds of the Second Worldwide Walk will be used to continue providing food and medical assistance for those in immediate need in impoverished communities.
The joint effort of INC members across the globe is one of many international campaigns of the INC’s socio-civic programs aimed to strengthen the bond between the congregations of the Church Of Christ and the communities in which they serve.
The INC or Church Of Christ is a global Christian Church that upholds Bible-based Christian teachings. It comprises 6,000 local congregations and missions in 142 countries and territories (around 370 local congregations and missions are in the US and Canada alone), and its membership consists of 133 ethnic groups and nationalities.
In the Philippines, the INC is the biggest non-Catholic religious sect with over 2 million members.
It continues to fulfill its pledge of sharing the gospel and extending help, to the best of its ability, through aid and services, promoting education, socio-economic well-being, environmental awareness and health improvement.
This is done with the help of local governments and community establishments, through the Aid To Humanity Program of the FYM Foundation and also the worldwide volunteer force of the INC Giving Project. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
