Organizers of anti-‘pork’ rally asked: Be circumspect

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang urged the public yesterday to be circumspect about the pork barrel fund or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) issue as officials also called on the organizers of the Sept. 11 EDSA Tayo rally to avoid causing traffic jams or any inconvenience while exercising their freedom of expression.

At the same time, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that last Aug. 28, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad had met with the anti-PDAF protesters that joined the Aug. 26 Million People March at the Rizal Park in Manila.

Abad and the Million People March leaders met at the Department of the Interior and Local Government to discuss the abolition of the pork barrel fund by President Aquino.

“I really don’t know who are these people behind this new march (EDSA Tayo). But what is very, very obvious is that the organizers of the Million People March are not involved in this particular march,” Lacierda said.

“We expect them to be responsible and prudent,” he said.

Lacierda said Cabinet officials have exerted efforts to make the protesters against the pork barrel fund understand the issue better.

He said Abad was accompanied by Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman and they explained the reform measures to be taken by the administration to avoid any fund misuse.

According to Lacierda, there was an exchange of ideas and information sharing during the meeting.

“A lot of them also don’t know how budget is done, so Secretary Abad explained how the budget was done and those who joined the Million People March also gave recommendations,” Lacierda said.

He said the organizers of the Million People March seeking to abolish pork barrel of President Aquino and the lawmakers had disowned the EDSA Tayo rally on Sept. 11.

Lacierda added he was curious because the protest action would be done on the birthday of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“What’s the significance of that?” he asked.

He likewise noted the division among groups expressing indignation against the pork barrel fund and some had announced they were not joining the Sept. 11 rally.

“We’ve heard a lot of people who are not marching. But, as to the numbers, I really don’t know,” Lacierda said.

Asked if this was an escalation of protests against pork barrel, Lacierda said it was not for him to make the assessment.

“But you know, again, people have the right to express their sentiments, opinions. We have a right to public assembly,” he said.

Asked about Fr. Joe Dizon, one of those asking the religious to join the Sept. 11 rally, Lacierda said “you know where Fr. Joe Dizon’s political affiliation lies.”

“So you make your own conclusions,” Lacierda said, apparently referring to Dizon’s ties with militant groups.

Lacierda said they were also concerned about the timing of the protest action being the day people would go to the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran, Parañaque for their devotion and mass and its effects on the traffic situation.

“On our part obviously, a lot of people will be inconvenienced, to be truthful about it. Again, first of all, we’re saying everybody has a right to free expression; everybody has a right to public assembly…inextricably EDSA will be affected by it, will be inconvenienced by the traffic,” Lacierda said.

“So should they want to look for another venue? We hope they will be considerate enough for those who will not join the rally... Because we’re not telling them, you cannot attend rallies... like what they did in Luneta, nobody stopped them, you know. Everybody was free to express their opinion,” he said.

The Palace is respecting the people’s right to express their concern on the issue of the pork barrel, which will further be manifested by the rally at the EDSA Shrine next week, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) chaired by Sec. Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday.  â€“ With Christina Mendez