President Benigno Aquino made the keynote speech at the grand opening of the Philippine Arena on Monday (photo supplied by the Philippines Presidential Palace)
An increasingly influential Christian sect in the Philippines opened what it claimed to be “the largest theater in the world” on Monday.
President Benigno Aquino led the inauguration ceremony at the Philippine Arena north of Manila, where Iglesias ni Cristo (Church of Christ) kicked off its centenary celebrations.
“This mirrors the victories of the Church over the past century,” Aquino told 50,000 cheering members of the sect.
With seating for 55,000 people, the cavernous US$200-million Philippine Arena is bigger than the Staples Center in Los Angeles and O2 Arena in London combined.
The new 74,000 sq.ms. structure is the centerpiece of a 75-hectare Cuidad de Victoria (City of Victory) in Bocaue, Bulacan province, described as a “one-stop multi-purpose complex and tourism enterprise zone”.
“Even if this is owned by the Iglesia ni Cristo, Filipinos will benefit from this,” said Glicerio Santos Jr, a sect official.
The Philippines government has declared 2014 as “Iglesias ni Cristo Centennial Year” to mark the group's registration with the Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission on July 27, 1914.
Set up by dissatisfied Catholic Felix Manalo, the sect claims to be the “one true Church”. Its 2.25 million members consider Iglesias ni Cristo to be the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy of the first church reestablished in the Far East.
The group is known for its political influence, which it has used to great effect by voting as a bloc for political candidates endorsed by the sect's leadership.
Over the past two decades, the Iglesia ni Cristo has backed every one of the country’s successful presidential candidates: Corazon Aquino, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and current President Benigno Aquino.