Zamboanga City residents join anti-pork rally

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - Hundreds of residents here joined the nationwide "Million People March" against corruption on pork barrel.

 

The protesters also expressed varied views about preventing the misuse of government funds under the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

 

The  participants in the march,   dubbed as El Pueblo Unido Contra Robo (The City is United against Corruption),  converged at the historic Plaza Pershing. Participants  from various  section of society expressed outrage and condemnation on the corruption in the use of PDAF.

 

Leaders believed that fugitive Janet Lim-Napoles could just be one of the instruments in the illegal disbursement of funds.

 

Grace Rebollos, former Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) president, called on the Aquino administration to open the records of PDAF expenditures OF the House of Representatives and  Senate.

 

Rebollos also called for the creation of a citizen watch and  a committee that will monitor the books of all congressmen.

 

However, Al Alhabshi believes that transparency on the use of PDAF could only be achieved if Congress passes the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill,  but  backed the retention of the PDAF with a stricter monitoring system.

 

Alhabshi, likeswise, observed that the rally in the countryside was likely organized in defense of President Aquino,  saying that a number of the organizers were grassroot supporters of Aquino who were only expressing their disappointment and frustration over the misuse of PDAF. 

 

The Muslim sector is firm on its stand to  call for the abolition of the pork barrel funds citing it to be the cause for many aspirants to run for position in Congress as well as political patronage and political killings, according to Prof. Ali Ayub, a member of the Ulama Council.

 

“If you go down to the grassroot level, that (pork barrel) is the cause of vote buying. They spend to win para bawiin nila ang nagamit na expenditure sa election because of huge money. If that will be abolished,  we will no longer have the political patronage, wala na 'yung political killing or at least ma-minimize and we can put to right the use of big funds,” Ayub said. - Roel Pareño