State offices, schools to shut and police deployed for Philippine sect rally
MANILA: Schools and government offices will close and thousands of police will be deployed on Monday to oversee a planned "million-strong" rally by an influential religious group opposing calls to unseat Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, officials said.The security preparations were announced on Friday ahead of the "national rally for peace" by the conservative Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), which said last month it opposed moves in the House of Representatives to impeach Duterte.The powerful religious group, which is estimated to have more than two million members, has considerable clout in the Philippines, where 80 percent of the population are Catholics.Three impeachment complaints have been filed in the past two months against Duterte, a former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos, and she is also being investigated over an alleged plot to have him assassinated.Iglesia announced on its television network last month that it opposed
