An activist from Youth Act Now calls for the prosecution of officials involved in corruption and misuse of pork during a picket Wednesday along Jones Circle in Acacia & CM Recto junction. Anti-pork rallyists slam the Aquino's Presidential Social Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which they say promote patronage politics. (davaotoday.com photo by Ace R. Morandante)
Librado-Trinidad said this situation, where elite politicians are infighting among themselves, leaves people no choice but to intensify their protests. “I believe our fight against corruption and bureaucrat capitalism must intensify as no one can effectively carry out this fight but us,” she said.
Ateneo de Davao University political science professor Ramon Beleno, told a recent forum on Understanding Pork, that “Napoles is not the center of this issue, but rather President Aquino on how he acts on this, and how he acts on his vast special funds.”
"They say there is no more pork or PDAF but why are congressmen and senators allowed to determine projects worth P 24 million? The mere fact that legislators each have P24M of hard projects practically at their disposal and there is no semblance of realignment on the president’s allocation, so far, is proof that the pork barrel still exists,” said Gabriela Partylist Representative Luzviminda Ilagan.
“Government corruption is an injustice to the people. Taxpayers are paying them salaries at 80 to 90 thousand monthly while it will probably take a lifetime for an impoverished farmer and lumad to earn it,” Paracha said.