Lingap draws thousands to Quirino Grandstand

The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) continues to draw thousands to its Lingap sa Mamamayan, this time with 160,000 trooping to the Quirino Grandstand for the latest edition of the worldwide outreach program.

According to INC general auditor Glicerio Santos Jr., the success of Lingap sa Mamamayan was a testament to the vision of executive minister Eduardo Manalo, who had directed the Church to take an active role in addressing 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.”

Participants were provided food parcels, 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 grandstand. Two mini-hospitals, each equipped with an operating room, were also set up for minor surgical procedures such as warts, cysts removal and circumcision.

Reading glasses were also distributed for free, as well as medicines, wheelchairs and quad canes.

Lingap sa Mamamayan activities have been organized not just here but also in the US, 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 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. An estimated 33,000 people received assistance.

These activities came on the heels of the success of the INC’s Worldwide Walk Against Poverty held last May. It drew over one million people in Manila and was conducted simultaneously in 358 sites across 44 different countries.