A day before National Migrants’ Day, and nearly a year since the disclosure of the pork barrel scam, overseas Filipinos and families held a Black Friday Protest at Welcome Rotonda today to protestthe continuing and worsening system of corruption and patronage politics under the Aquino administration.
According to Garry Martinez, Migrante International chairperson, the pork barrel scam has “evolved into a more complex web of lies, deceit and exploitation of the Filipino people, with no less than Pres. Aquino and his allies at its helm.”
“Mag-iisang taon na mula nang pumutok ang pork barrel scam pero hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin naa-abolish ang pork barrel. We still have the pork in the 2014 budget,only this time it is concentrated within and controlled by the Executive branch. After the disclosure of the Napolist, it has become more clear to uswhy Pres. Aquino has been loathe to abolish the pork barrel all along. Mismong ang mga pinakamalalapit niyang alyado sa gobyerno ang tunay na utak ng pork barrel scam, and his government is now employing everything to do a cover-up,” Martinez said.
Martinez slammed the Aquino government’s“selective prosecution” of political foes, while protecting the likes of Sec.Abad and Sec. Alcala, whose names appeared in the Napolist. “Lahat ng sangkot ay dapat managot. Hindi dahil KKK (kamag-anak, kaklase atkabarilan) ay ligtas na sa imbestigasyon at prosekusyon. Abad and Alcala and all other administration officials involved should resign, iyan ang tunay na tuwid na daan.”
Martinez said that OFWs are also calling for an independent body to conduct an urgent investigation of those involved inthe pork barrel scam. “To ensure that there will be no cover-up, an independent investigating body should not be dominated by government appointees, especially since big administration allies like Abad and Alcala have also been included in the list. OFWs and their families all over the world will oppose all attempts of a whitewash.”
Migrante International called on all OFWs and their families to participate in the June 12 anti-pork protests against the pork barrel scam and corruption in the Aquino government. ###
