Signature drive vs pork begins in Iloilo

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  — Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate led the conduct of signature campaign to abolish the pork barrel system in this city in time with the celebration of National Heroes' Day on Monday.

The signature campaign kicked off after a forum headed by Zarate at the Iloilo National High School, followed by a march and rally to the Iloilo Plazoletagay.

Zarate said the minority members in Congress had to resort to people's initiative to abolish the pork barrel system because they are outnumbered in the Senate and House of Representatives, and that the Judiciary is a passive body that only acts when there will be a complaint.

The pork barrel of the president and Congress was major sources of graft and corruption and of patronage politics that are detrimental to the poor Filipino people, said Zarate.

In the proposed People's Initiative Bill, known as an Act Abolishing the Pork Barrel System, Zarate noted that all proposed budgets shall contain only itemized or line-item appropriations except in the case of disaster response, the contingency fund of up to five percent and Intelligence/confidential funds of the National Security Council, the Department of National Defense and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Meanwhile, the special funds like Malampaya funds and other off-budget accounts shall be included in the National Expenditure Program to be approved by Congress, according to Zarate.  (FREEMAN)