A motorcycle rider who found himself boxed in by demonstrators along EDSA during the Iglesia ni Cristo mobilization has become the center of a controversy that has now reached the Senate, with Sen. Raffy Tulfo demanding that the responding officer answer for his conduct.
The senator singled out the officer for turning his attention to the rider rather than the crowd that had closed in around him. Tulfo wants the officer named and enrolled in a retraining course.
“‘Yung tao, overwhelmed na siya ng mga raliyista and then, sinisigawan siya, kinuha ‘yung susi niya… Binantaan siyang papatayin,” Tulfo said on Thursday, July 2.
“Tapos ngayon, siya pa ‘yong pagagalitan ng pulis… I want that policeman identified and isalang siya sa retraining program,” he added.
The footage that sparked the outrage was recorded on June 30, when the rider became stuck within the INC gathering and had his motorcycle key seized. On camera, he can be heard voicing his exasperation at being caught in the situation.
“Ano ba ‘yang pinaglalaban na ‘yan? Bakit ganito? Tao rin naman ako dito sa Pilipinas ah!” he said.
A response came from someone in the crowd, believed to be one of the demonstrators, who pointed at him as he spoke.
“Tao ka nga, ‘wag ka nagsasalita! Gusto mo bang mamatay?!” the person said.
An officer wearing athletic clothing eventually stepped in, urging the rider to settle down given the size of the crowd surrounding them.
“‘Wag ka masyadong ano, kuya… ‘wag ka masyado ano, kasi dito, madami dito…” the officer told him.
Online, users piled criticism on the officer for how he managed the encounter.
The rally itself was organized by the INC to back Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, one of its own members, who is being charged with plunder over P75 million in campaign contributions that went undeclared during his Senate run. According to the church’s spokesperson, Edwil Zabala, the funds tied to Marcoleta were not government money, and he maintained that the Commission on Elections does not treat the acceptance of such donations as an offense.
“Sinusuportahan ng Iglesia Ni Cristo na itinataguyod ni Senador Marcoleta dahil ito rin ang posisyon namin. Nananawagan kami para sa transparency, accountability, justice, at peace,” Zabala said.
“Kaya, nais naming iparinig sa mga kinauukulan na kahit ipakulong nila si Sen. Marcoleta, hindi kami titigil sa paghingi ng katarungan para sa mga kababayan nating ninakawan. Gusto namin ipaalam sa kanila na isang injustice ang selective justice. At hindi kami mananahimik sa harap nitong napakalaking pagyurak sa katarungan na hinihingi ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.
The INC has tied the case to Marcoleta’s earlier work heading the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, where he directed inquiries into the flood control scandal, framing the charges as retaliation for that role.
Prosecutors have laid out a different picture. They flagged that the P75 million never appeared in Marcoleta’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth as of June 30, 2025, and pointed to the donor’s tax on the sum being settled only in December 2025 — a delay they characterized as a sign of concealment. The Ombudsman, for its part, has pushed back on any suggestion of political motive, insisting the case reflects a straightforward drive against corruption.
