Another rally vs pork barrel set on Sept. 21

MANILA, Philippines - A broad network of organizations is set to stage another rally for the abolition of the pork barrel system during the anniversary of martial law on Sept. 21 in Rizal Park.

The #Abolishpork Movement will call on Congress to abolish the Priority Development Assistance Fund and on President Aquino to give up his presidential discretionary funds as concrete steps in scrapping the entire pork barrel system.

Last Friday, hundreds gathered in Rizal Park to sustain the mass protest over the reported misuse of pork barrel funds.

Among the groups that participated in the protest action were the Youth Act Now! alliance, Association of Major Religious Superiors, Catholic Educators Association, Protestant churches, Concerned Citizens Movement, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Makabayan coalition, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, Movement Against Dynasties and netizens.

“We are gearing up for nationwide and coordinated protest activities on Sept. 21, the anniversary of martial law. More provinces are expected to hold mass actions,” Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said.

“There was corruption during the dictatorship and there’s continuing corruption now. It just shows how we have not achieved fundamental change. The ruling elite then and now remain corrupt and anti-people,” he added.

Netizen and musician Monet Silvestre expressed belief that protests are necessary to ventilate the people’s growing disgust over systemic corruption via the pork barrel system.

“The Senate hearings give us a glimpse of how gross corruption continues and how the perpetrators think they could get away with anything. The people’s protests and vigilance are important in ensuring accountability,” he said.

Victor Villanueva, chairman of the University of Santo Tomas law student government and convenor of Youth Act Now, urged the youth to be at the forefront of the fight against corruption and for genuine change.

“The youth are restive over the thought that their present and future are already being stolen by the corrupt ruling elite,” Villanueva said.– With Evelyn Macairan