‘Forward March to #abolishpork’ rock and rage in Rizal Park on Friday

Religious groups, artists and ordinary citizens incensed by the P10-billion pork barrel scam are returning to Luneta in Manila Friday to attend a concert against government corruption.

Dubbed “Forward March to #abolishpork,” the rally will start with an ecumencial service at 3 p.m. and end with a “Rock and Rage against the Pork” concert at 6 p.m.

Before the rally, Catholic and Protestants will hold a procession from San Agustin Church, the oldest stone church in the country, where a Mass will be held.

“The issue on truth and corruption is one of the many concerns that we have to give our attention to,” said Fr. Marlon Lacal, coexecutive secretary of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP).

“The activity for Sept. 13 is one of the many activities lined up by many sectors, including us, to pressure the government to heed the call of the people for the total abolition of the pork barrel, may it be congressional or presidential,” he said.

The AMRSP is sponsoring the Mass in San Agustin Church, Intramuros, Manila, at 2 p.m. Lacal said.

“After the Mass, we shall [hold a] procession to join an interfaith service and program at the Luneta. Our Protestant brothers and sisters will join us in the procession to Luneta,” he added.

Victor Villanueva, UST Law Student Government president, said: “We are disappointed that until now, no one has been charged with plunder or even plain malversation of funds. It’s been more than two months since the scam was exposed.

“We want (alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim) Napoles and her coconspirators in the Senate, the House of Representatives and executive departments charged. That is another reason why many young people will go to Luneta this Friday—to demand justice,” he added.

The bishops of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) also joined others in calling for the abolition of the pork barrel system.

“The piercing evidence, that billions in public funds have been stolen by corrupt politicians and their cohorts, rightly elicits our anger, disgust and corrective action,” the UCCP bishops said in a statement.

‘Self-serving greed’

“What makes this a double insult to our Christian sensibility is that these funds have been stolen largely under [the pretext] of providing development assistance in poor and needy communities,” they added.

The UCCP said the pork barrel system “in all its manifestations, from the barangay to the presidential pork barrel” should be abolished.

“We demand a thorough investigation and prosecution of those who have manipulated and plundered pork barrel for personal gain. The prevailing climate of impunity, combined with patronage politics, corrodes and chokes our nation’s advancement,” the UCCP bishops said.

“The Filipino people long to be freed from the grip of self-serving greed, and the economically poor, as much as ever, deserve opportunities for genuine development … Now is the time to demand accountability and transparency from our nation’s leaders,” they added.