Some 500 people from various sectors in the community converged at the Rizal Boulevard in this city Monday to join the nationwide protest for the scrapping of the controversial pork barrel.
While the activity in Dumaguete was a far cry from the livelier and boisterous rallies in Manila, Cebu and other parts of the country, nevertheless, people who attended the “picnic” expressed their shared sentiments against the pork barrel which they described as a source of corruption in government.
Wearing white shirts and carrying placards and white balloons, the protest activity was a convergence of people from all walks of life who simply wanted to “see and be seen”.
Some local government officials were also spotted at the rally site but were not allowed to speak to avoid tainting the activity with political color.
When interviewed by media, they said they went there not as politicians but as individual taxpayers joining the others in expressing their outrage against the P10-billion pork barrel scandal that hit the Aquino administration recently.
Protesters signed a tarpaulin petition that called for the abolition of the pork barrel. Also, participants were asked to fill out a petition campaign to be sent to Malacañang.
Assistant Provincial Administrator Arnel Francisco said he went there on his own to support the protest activity as well as to represent Governor Roel Degamo.
Francisco said he believes that the pork barrel, or formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund, if properly regulated and monitored with safeguards in place, would benefit the people in general.
But, Francisco laments that since the PDAF programs and projects are being implemented by the legislators themselves, part of the funds go straight into their pockets.
Francisco said he agrees with the governor that local chief executives should instead get to identify the programs and projects for the pork barrel and implement them instead of the lawmakers executing these projects.
For his part, Fr. Burton Villarmente of the Social Action Center of the Diocese of Dumaguete, stressed the need for the Church to get involved in the protest rally because of the abolition of the pork barrel is “long overdue”.
Only a small portion of the pork barrel funds get implemented for their intended projects, thus corruption sets in, he added.
The priest explained that it is part of the advocacy of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action to campaign against corruption in government.
The anti-pork barrel “picnic” at the Rizal Boulevard was peaceful with students, representatives from the academe, businessmen, environmentalists, doctors, the media, non-government and civic organizations taking part in the activity.
