INQUIRER.net PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–At least 10,000 citizens signed up at Rizal Park alone on Monday for the People’s Initiative against the pork barrel system, based on the unofficial tally made by the protest organizers.
Around 30 booths representing the 17 cities and municipalities of the National Capital Region (NCR) were set up at the Luneta grounds.
Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said in an interview with INQUIRER.net that he was satisfied with the outcome of the first day of signing.
Colmenares is one of the proponents of the bill, which prohibits all forms of lump sum discretionary funds, or pork barrel, in the national budget.
The “Pork Barrel Abolition Act” recommends up to 10 years imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office for government officials who will be found spending money on undeclared projects in the national budget.
“That’s good for me now considering today was just the opening salvo,” he said.
By December 2014, Colmenares said they hope to gather the six million signatures needed to enact the people’s initiative into a law .
“We still have four months of this to go. Sign-up stations nationwide will be set up at churches, plazas, public markets and others,” he added.
Not a million people march installment
Colmenares also clarified that the essence of the protest was to launch the signature campaign, not to gather millions of people to rally against pork barrel.
Compared to the first Million People March in July last year, this year’s protest had a lower turnout with 20,000 from the previous 85,000 to 100,000 participants.
“This is a People’s Initiative signing day. We just set the date of protest similar to last year. We are not calling for another million people march,” he said.
”Whether it’s 100,000 or 10,000 or even 1,000, as long as the people will continue to fight against pork barrel,” he added.