The Iglesia ni Cristo 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 the INC outreach initiative, referred to as “Aid to Humanity” or “Lingap sa Mamamayan,” is part of INC’s efforts to “help those in need, here and beyond our shores.”
“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,” Santos said.
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.
Activities were likewise held in different parts of Europe and Southern Africa.
Santos said a total of 750,000 beneficiaries received “goodwill bags” that contain basic staple goods such as food and toiletries in the Philippines and abroad.
Medical and dental missions were also conducted in several of the sites, including the Philippine Arena in Bulacan where the biggest Lingap activity was held.
According to Santos, “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.”
“The same medical services were also provided in Australia and Canada. In Japan, entertainment was also provided for our less fortunate brothers and sisters,” he added.
With parts of Mindanao reeling from a series of earthquakes, Santos said the homegrown INC is now mobilizing its resources 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.”