The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) on October 31 held simultaneous worldwide outreach activities to make the 64th birthday of INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, distributing “goodwill bags” to over a quarter-million beneficiaries in the Philippines and other parts of the globe.
INC Auditor General Glicerio Santos Jr. on Sunday said that the INC outreach initiative referred to “Aid to Humanity” or “Lingap sa Mamamayan” is part of the INC’s efforts to “help those in need, here and beyond our shores.”
“It is in times like these that we must extend to each other a helping hand.”
“This is in line with the directives of Ka Eduardo, who has called on the Church and its members to share our blessings with the poor and the underprivileged sectors in the countries where we are present,” emphasized the INC official.
To stress his point, Santos said that aside from the Philippines, simultaneous Aid to Humanity activities were held in 219 sites in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Similar activities were likewise held in different parts of Europe and Southern Africa.
Santos revealed that a total of 750,000 beneficiaries received “goodwill bags” that contain basic staples such as food and toiletries in the Philippines and abroad.
Medical and dental missions were also conducted in several of the sites, including at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, where the biggest Lingap activity was held.
“In the Philippine Arena activity we had over 80,000 beneficiaries who, aside from receiving aid packages, were also given free medical and dental check ups,” Santos said.
“The same medical services were also provided in Australia and Canada. In Japan, entertainment was also provided for our less fortunate brothers and sisters,” added Santos.
With parts of Mindanao reeling from a series of earthquakes, Santos revealed that the homegrown INC is now mobilizing its resources for to provide aid for quake-stricken areas.
“It is in times like these that we must extend to each other a helping hand. We are now coordinating with our churches in Mindanao to see what kind of aid packages will help the communities there the most.”