Coalition vs pork brings caravan to southern Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Coalition against the Pork Barrel System brought to southern Cebu the first sign up caravan against the controversial funds.

The caravan was led by the Initiative against Pork  and was participated by Abolish Pork Movement, Archdiocese Discernment Group, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide – Cebu, Bayan Muna, Anak Pawis, Youth Act Now, Anak Bayan, and Bayan – Central Visayas, among others.

Two huge stereos mounted on a pickup truck blared with the groups’ jingle as the caravan kicked off past 8 a.m. at the Patria de Cebu in Cebu City and cruised down to Argao town.

PIAP provincial coordinator Stella Palomo said it is their objective to educate the general public on the intricacies of the government funding system.

“Atong ipaklaro nila nga we are entitled to basic services because you pay your taxes, pero wala man ta nakatagamtam ana because the funds… where did the funds go? To ghost projects?” she said.

The campaign also leads to the 2016 elections, which she considers “a paradigm for change” if the public will learn to vote wisely.

“Dili nata dapat pailad. We can go down and truly educate the people to empower them. Dapat sabayan namo ang election campaign kay gakampanya naman na sila karon. Educating the public for good governance,” Palomo said.

In Argao, the caravan stopped at the Cebu Technological University where an educational forum took place. Attended by college students, the discussion was aimed at educating the youth on social relevance of people’s initiative against pork in relation to good governance and to fast track the coalition’s signature campaign.

In a speech, CTU – Argao campus director Lynnette Camello said, “We committed ourselves to support, to let our students have an experience for an open market of ideas and have a venue for whatever we would like to instill in them in terms of the development of high order, thinking critical skills.”

She said the initiative is only timely considering that the school is celebrating its 70th anniversary this week.

“I am sure our students are able to see how the evils of too much money and too much pork in the hands of people who may not be able to take it with responsibility,” Camello said.

Fr. Aladdin Luzon, a member of the Archdiocese Discernment Group under CCAPBS, said urged the students to be proactive as early as now so they won’t fall victim to the wrong system of governance.

“Inig dako ninyo, kon dili ni mausab ang dagan sa atong gobyerno, mahimong kamo nga biktima sa dili maayong sistema. As early as this time, mas maayo nga naa moy ingon ini nga panan-aw sa atong katilingban, labi na sa atong kinatibuk-an nga kinabuhi isip mga Pilipino,” he said.

Meanwhile, PIAP provincial coordinator Moises Cañete stressed on the issues the students may face as future taxpayers.

“Kamo nga naningkamot nga makaeskwela aron makatrabaho, unsay mahitabo sa inyong kita? Grabi ang korupsyon, karon nasayod naman ta nga dako ang kantidad nga ilang gibulsa, pinaagi diha sa pork barrel,” he said.

“Dili madugay nga manarbaho namo, unya moha-tag mog buhis, unya wala diay hinungdan, padung gihapon tas kalisdanan,” he added.

Niño Olayvar, one of the members of Youth Act Now under CCAPBS, focused his call on education.

“Kitang mga kabataan directly tang naapektuhan sa pork barrel particularly ang kabataan naa sa sector sa edukasyon. Ang sistema sa pork barrel nga imbes mapunta sa serbisyo ang kwarta nga gibayad sa atong mga ginikanan, adto napunta sa mga bulsa sa pipila o gigamit sa mga proyekto nga tinikas,” he said.

Fr. Socrates Cabaneg, one of the facilitators of the caravan, emphasized that the advocacy to help effect change should start at a personal level.

“Kita nagkahiusa sa atong lihok pinaagi sa people’s initiative, apan dili lang ang pag-abolish sa mao nga sistema, kondili bunga niini ang tagsa-tagsa nga pag-usab sa kaugalingon, ang pag-usab manukad sa tagsa tagsa nato ka kasing kasing,” he said.

The People’s Initiative to Abolish the Pork Barrel is a coalition of organizations that aim to collect six million signatures from registered voters for a petition to pass a bill to abolish the pork barrel system.

The proposed legislation will abolish the presidential and congressional pork barrel, mandates line item budgeting, prohibits and criminalizes appropriation and use of lump sum discretionary funds, and penalizes violators with six years and one day to ten years imprisonment and disqualification from holding public office. — (FREEMAN)