Anti-pork barrel "picnic" still on
DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Despite a pronouncement by President Simeon Benigno Aquino III for pork barrel reforms late Friday, the city's "picnic" calling for the abolition of the Priority Assistance Development Fund (PDAF) will push through tomorrow as scheduled.
Roy Bustillo, president emeritus of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas (KBP)-Negros Oriental chapter said the anti-pork barrel protest activity will simply be a "picnic" where people from various sectors will come together to air their outrage in the recent pork barrel scam.
People from this city and Negros Oriental province, notwithstanding Aquino's declaration, still intimated their desire to stage the peaceful gathering to express their outrage against the latest scandal.
Doubtful of the president's shift in his stand on the PDAF, popularly known as pork barrel, constituents here have posted comments on the social networking sites, Facebook and Twitter, that "people should not be fooled" by Mr. Aquino's pronouncement.
Many comments on these sites were saying that the pork barrel will just be getting a new name, while others were doubtful that the "reforms" as suggested by the president will be realized.
Bustillo, along with the Silliman University Student Government's Committee on Students' Rights and Welfare, reiterated his call for the public to attend Monday's gathering to show solidarity to the national movement for the abolition of the PDAF and to have lawmakers involved in the scam investigated.
The "picnic" will not be a rally and neither will it be tainted by political color or advocacy groups as everyone is enjoined to come as an individual taxpayer, he said.
The "pocket picnic" is set at 9 a.m. at the Rizal Boulevard with students, members of the academe, local government officials, civil servants, non-government organizations, people's organizations, church-based groups, the media, civic clubs and other members of the community expected to participate. (FREEMAN)
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