Critics try to exorcise pork evil in House

ANTIPORK. Placard-bearing mothers gather at Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City to push for the abolition of pork barrel and the President’s Disbursement Acceleration Program. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

They came bearing a wooden cross, hoping to exorcise the evil of the pork barrel from the national budget.

Some came in priestly vestments, others in the habits of nuns.

Trooping to the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City at the reopening of Congress’ session after a two-week break, the Church People’s Alliance against Pork Barrel on Monday urged legislators to expunge the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) from the general appropriations bill.

About the same time across the metropolis, members of workers’ unions in banks, hospitals and the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector announced the formation of a separate coalition against pork.

Members of this second group styled themselves as “TaxAPo”—or the Makati-Pasay Taxpayers against Pork Barrel System.

They said they picked that name because it sounded like the Kapampangan curse “taksyapo” and such a name would help their call for an end to corruption in the use of government funds.

Letters to lawmakers

In the Quezon City protest, members of a coalition of clergy and laity signed a letter condemning pork and sent it to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora and the chairs of the committees on people’s participation and on appropriations.

Outside Gate 1 of the Batasan complex, they unfurled a streamer reading, “Stand with the poor! Abolish the Pork Barrel!” in full view of motorists entering the compound.

The group’s leader, United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Bishop Emeritus Elmer Bolocon, called on members of the House of Representatives to eliminate the PDAF from the budget.

Source of corruption

“Our lawmakers do not need pork barrel. Their responsibility is to make laws,” Bolocon said in his remarks to the group.

“They should leave the funds with the agencies of the executive department. The pork barrel system has become the source of grave corruption.”

Bolocon said the government should make accountable those responsible for the scam and suggested that the PDAF and the DAP be channeled directly to social services.

Corruption amid poverty

The letters to the legislators were signed by coalition convenors, including Caloocan Bishop Emeritus Deogracias Iñiguez, Rev. Fr. Ben Alforque, Rev. Jerome Baris of the UCCP and Nardy Sabino of the Promotion of Church People’s Response.

“It is to our great dismay that such corruption of great magnitude happened amid rampant poverty that has plagued the nation and stripped people of their rights to basic social services, a life with dignity,” the group said in the letter.

It added: “We (bishops, priests, religious men and women, lay leaders and youth) cannot remain blind when our rights to necessary social services are denied. We cannot turn a deaf ear when the aspiration of the oppressed and marginalized for social justice reverberates across the land. We cannot be indifferent to the aspiration of the people for a better society with abundant life for all.”

Abolish pork now

They asked the legislators to rechannel the pork barrel funds to social services like education, health and housing, bring to justice the people involved in the pork scam, and declare the DAP unconstitutional.

The letter said: “As you prepare for the final deliberation of the 2014 national budget, let your hearts be touched by the millions of Filipino people who have entrusted you (with the task) to make our lives better, to restore the trust to the public office and put an end to the acts of bribery, corruption and abuse of power …. Let us abolish pork barrel now.”

The group e-mailed copies of their letter to the rest of the House members.

The antipork, Church-led alliance spearheaded the Oct. 11 nationwide ringing of church bells to push for the pork’s abolition.

Monday’s protest occurred as the House was preparing for final action on the proposed P2.268-trillion national budget, which is expected to be approved on third reading on Oct. 21.

Final action

Earlier, House leaders announced that the proposed P25-billion PDAF had been removed from the 2014 budget and the amount rechanneled to departments providing social services and infrastructure projects.

That action is expected to be finally approved on the bill’s third reading on Monday.

But critics said that even if the PDAF were gone, pork still existed because lawmakers could still recommend infrastructure projects that would be included in the public works department budget.

As for the DAP, under which pooled savings are allocated for lawmakers’ projects, lawmakers defended it, saying it is an old practice and falls under the powers of the President.

Growing clamor

At a press conference in Makati City, TaxAPo spokesperson Mark Oliver Gonzales said the newly organized group involved  unions in banks, telecommunication firms, hospitals, hotels, pharmaceuticals “and communities in Makati and Pasay cities.”

Gonzales, who is president of Planters Development Bank Employees, said: “Upon learning about the P10-billion pork barrel scam, most of the taxpayers vented their anger by cursing (napapamura sila).”

Among the member organizations of TaxAPo are 16 unions in Makati and Pasay, including RCBC Employees Union, Maybank Employees Union, Citibank Employees Union and HSBC Employees Union.

Gonzales said the taxpayers’ group would reinforce the growing clamor to scrap the pork barrel.

“What is clear in this issue is the plight of the workers, low wages and contractualization. There is poverty, soaring basic commodity prices and unemployment at its highest,” Gonzales said.

Tax holiday

Ian Porquia, head of the BPO Industry Employees Network, appealed to the public to join the group’s call for a three-month tax holiday, or nonpayment of taxes. He did not say when the tax holiday should begin.

“That would be worth P10,000 that we can spend for bills, rental and food, instead of just going to the pockets of our public officials,” Porquia said.

“We work hard and put ourselves in danger at night going to work for a salary with the taxes automatically deducted, only to find out that the money taken from us is not put to good use,” he said.

The group plans to hold a candle-lighting protest on Ayala Avenue on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m.

Instead of holding torches, people holding candles will move in a single file from different directions in Makati’s Central Business District before converging near the Ninoy Aquino statue on Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas.