Anti-pork protest is not enough

Anti-pork rally in Luneta (Carlo Mateo / DZBB via Twitter)

MANILA – More than the protests against the lawmaker’s pork, people’s initiative should be signed, according to the organizers of the anti-pork barrel protest in Rizal Park, Manila.

The protest conducted by several anti-pork groups was in time for the National Heroes’ Day yesterday (August 25).

Activists and members of the clergy gathered once more to encourage Filipinos to take the initiative to abolish the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.

Despite the Supreme Court’s decision declaring the unconstitutionality of PDAF, protesters still believed that the lump sum allegedly used for corrupting taxpayer’s money is still hidden somewhere in the government’s budget.

A campaign was launched aiming to gather 6 million signatures to abolish the pork barrel. The figure will comprise 10 percent of the total number of registered voters, as required in the initiative and referendum law.

The vote must also include 3 percent of the total number of voters in each congressional district.

To ensure the success of the campaign, the organizers said they are targeting a total of 10 million signatures.

This is because the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the agency who would eventually determine the validity of the referendum, might still question and declare some of the signatures gathered as invalid.

Meanwhile, organizers of the campaign are now calling on Filipinos to participate in voting against the pork barrel system in the country.