MANILA, Philippines - Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said Thursday that President Benigno Aquino III's speech is a "desperate act" to defend the national government's Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) fund.
"Aquino's speech on primetime was nothing but a desperate defense of DAP and presidential lump sum discretionary spending or pork," Reyes said.
He added: "He says the issue is corruption (pagnanakaw) yet he conveniently omits the fact that DAP also went to Napoles' NGOs and corrupt politicians."
Businesswoman Janet Napoles has been accused as the brains behind the P10 billion pork barrel scam, in which the priority development assistance fund of legislators were allegedly put in several bogus non-government organizations.
Napoles is now detained at a police camp in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for serious illegal detention charges filed against her by pork barrel scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy.
Reyes said the President's speech will not dampen the people's resolve to go back to the streets and call for PDAF and DAP's abolition.
"We will be going back to the streets on November 7 for the Napoles Senate testimony, November 11 for the SC (Supreme Court) oral arguments on DAP and on November 13 for the Kalampagan Kontra Korapsyon," Reyes said.