At least two more rallies to denounce the pork barrel are being planned in Cebu City on Sept. 11 and 15, but organizers are keeping a low profile so far.
One has an online campaign inviting citizens through the Facebook Account “Fuente TA” to gather at Fuente Osmena on Sept. 11, a Wednesday, for a “peaceful prayer rally”, coinciding with a similar mass action in EDSA.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said the Catholic Church isn’t involved in either of the rallies although he said lay people “may join them if they want” since it’s time that lay groups “stand up for what is right.”
He told Cebu Daily News the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), where he is the outgoing president, will come up with a statement on the pork barrel issue soon.
Palma said he is instead encouraging parishes to join Pope Francis in praying for peace in Syria on Sept. 7. He asked people to fast and offer special prayers that day. The next day, Sept. 8, is the traditional “birthday” of Mary, the mother of Jesus, where the Church celebrates her nativity day as a religious feast.
Text messages are circulating inviting people to a second anti-pork barrel rally in Cebu City: “9/11 6:00PM RESCUE THE NATION, THE PEOPLE’S RALLY AT FUENTE. No colors! No politics. Come as you are.”
The Facebook page “Fuente Ta” created on Aug. 31 with no clear author invites the public to come to a Sept. 11 rally.
“911 represents rescue. Our nation needs to be rescued from the claws of greed and power wielding. Our beloved Philippines is weeping from the tight grip of politics. You can help SAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. We will gather in FUENTE on 9/11 at 6PM” the page reads.
The text blast was also sent by Paul Hubahib, a former Cebu City consultant currently assisting Mayor Michael Rama and a Gawad Kailnga volunteer, but he told CDN he was not an organizer and was just “helping” out.
His text message said “PEACEFUL PRAYER RALLY FOR TOTAL ABOLITION OF PORK BARREL IS 6 PM SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 AT FUENTE OSMEÑA. THIS IS IN TANDEM WITH OUR ASSOCIATE GROUPS IN METRO MANILA WHOSE RALLY IS IN EDSA”.
In a text “update”, Hubahib announced a second prayer rally on Sept. 15, Sunday, at Plaza Independencia in the name of the “CEBU PEOPLE POWER FOR ABOLITION OF PORK BARREL”. He said a signature campaign will be done along with a “non-partisan interfaith prayer rally”.
“We are with Sept. 11, 2013 in Fuente Osmena and the EDSA affair “delivering one message – abolish all pork barrels,” read the text.
As of yesterday, no application for a road permit or use of Plaza Independencia was filed in the city government for the Sept. 11 or 15 mass actions.
Cebu city’s anti-pork barrel rally last Aug. 26, a holiday, was held at Plaza Independencia and drew about 3,000 people who wore white shirts and marched from Fuente Osmeña at 7 a.m. to coincide with the Million People March to Luneta.
Archbishop Palma supported the activity by having Mass celebrated at 9 a.m. in the Metropolitan Cebu Cathedral where Auxiliary Bishop Julito Cortes, in a homily, called the public outrage over misuse of P10 billion of the Priority Development Assistance Fund of national legislators “a collective struggle between good and evil”.
The rally permit was secured by the Movement for a Livable Cebu through its lead convenor Marc Canton but this time core group members said MLC is not part of the Sept. 11 or 15 rallies.