Filipino interfaith group seeks impartial justice amid Marcos-Duterte rift

MANILA, Philippines – Leaders from various Philippine religious groups have launched a joint campaign for impartial justice, defying accusations that church leaders have targeted Vice President Sara Duterte while sparing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Convened by a prominent Catholic bishop alongside civil society groups, the Interreligious Leaders’ Council for National Transformation recently formed the White Ribbon Movement. On Sunday, the group made headlines by launching its first major initiative: the White Ribbon March.

The White Ribbon March drew about 3,500 protesters along EDSA, Metro Manila’s longest highway, with the endorsement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

The venue was significant because it was the site of the 1986 uprising that ousted the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, the incumbent president’s father, with the help of the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin.

During Sunday’s protest, the White Ribbon Movement emphasized the need to hold corrupt politicians accountable regardless of political color. They chose white to symbolize their “colorless” goal and a clean conscience.

A 72-year-old Catholic bishop, Jose Colin Bagaforo of the southern Philippine diocese of Kidapawan, launched the White Ribbon Movement alongside Protestant, Evangelical, and Muslim leaders.

At the White Ribbon March, Bagaforo said that no