Clad in various colours, 23,235 participants formed the sentence “Proud to be a member of Iglesia Ni Cristo.”
According to Guinness adjudicator Paulina Sapinska, the participants had beaten the previous largest human sentence “You can you will” set by 16,550 students on August 10, 2016 who celebrated World Youth Day in India.
“The record to beat is 16,550 participants in the largest human sentence. Today you had 23,235 participants. INC-Church of Christ, this is a Guinness record title. You are officially amazing,” Sapinska said.
Students from the University of Santo Tomas tried to break the record in 2017 with over 16,729 students forming, “My teacher my hero” in celebration of the National Teachers’ Month but the attempt was not officially recognised by Guinness.
The INC’s feat was achieved during its Worldwide Walk to Fight Poverty that was held simultaneously with those in 43 other countries across 18 time zones.
Manila Police District spokesman and Supt. Erwin Margarejo estimated the crowd at 1.5mn who had walked 1.6 kilometres from the Cultural Centre of the Philippines to Salas Street along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.
The Metro Manila Development Authority deployed 200 personnel to guide motorists and maintain peace and order in the area.
The walk was also held simultaneously in Davao Oriental, Abra, Bicol, Albay, Benguet, Aurora, Pangasinan, Quezon and Iloilo.
INC members converged in designated sites in 43 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
The INC said it is planning to go after other official Guinness titles: the largest picture mosaic formed by people, the most nationalities in a charity walk and the largest charity walk in a single venue.
It is also aiming to break its own record for the largest charity walk across multiple venues that it set four years ago.
The Guinness Book of World Records recognised the INC’s first Worldwide Walk in 2014 as the largest charity walk across multiple venues held in 24 hours, with 519,221 individuals in 129 sites in 16 countries taking part.
In Tarlac, close to 30,000 INC members led by Minister Israel Flores joined the activity.
The participants assembled in front of the Carangian Elementary School at 3am and marched to the Paninaan bypass road.The walk was generally peaceful.
“This is a notable activity that is worthy of emulation. I really salute the INC for doing such a noble cause,” Tarlac City Vice Mayor Genaro Mendoza said.