SIGNATURES FOR SYSTEM: #SignUpVsPork

NO TO PORK

Thousands of concerned Filipino citizens, including activists and church people, gathered at the Philippine Luneta park on Monday (August 25, 2014) in a rally in an attempt to urge the Philippine government to scrap the pork barrel system which they believe to be the main source of corruption in our country. Organisers said almost 20,000 people joined the rally but observers said the crowd was much smaller, with police putting it at about 5,000 at its peak.

Mae Paner as the Pork Barrel Queen

This year's crowd was far smaller compared to the Million People March last year that assembled as much as 250, 000 protesters. The main objective of these rallies were to gather around five to six million signatures nationwide to demand the removal of unnecessary lump funds outside of the yearly budget through the enactment of The People's Initiative Bill.

Comic Strip made by Manix Abrera from SignUpVsPork website

These lump funds were supposed to pay for the pet projects of legislators but large amounts were allegedly stolen. Three powerful senators have already been jailed over the controversy namely Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr., and Jinggoy Estrada.

Cardinal Luis Tagle expressed his delight through social media to the people saying "I extend my greetings and solidarity. Thank you for making democracy alive and active. Thank you for advancing decency in public life,"

Some notable groups in the rally were Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Youth ACT Now, Nationalist Movement, and Church People's Alliance Against Pork Barrel. 

Despite the unbearable heat, many people showed up at Rizal Park. Most of them are religious priests, nuns, and brothers.  AMRSP co – chairperson Sr. Eden Panganiban, SSpS and Fr. Leo Dalmao, CMF said that they are committed together with the members to fight for tuwid na daan. Members of NCCP were also there to show solidarity against corruption.

To show awareness to anti – pork barrel, Mary John Mananzan of the group Babae Laban sa Katiwalian, Greco Belgica, the lead petitioner in the Supreme Court case against the pork barrel and DAP, and Bishop Ted Bacani also showed up. A former supporter of President Aquino, Mae Paner, was wearing a mascot of a pig, and even made a skit. 

Some celebrities also attended the rally. Maria Isabel Lopez, and daughter Mara gave their opinions about the pork barrel, and President Aquino’s term extension. Kamikazee presented a performace on the event. Members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines have also participated in the rally. 

PARTICIPATION OF NETIZENS

Netizens have contributed in broadcasting the said event last Monday. Different tweets of different reactions flew and pictures and videos were widely retweeted and scattered by the people. And while the number of protesters have dramatically decreased compared to last year’s, netizens remained in promoting the rally.

“We now see Aquino’s moves that aim to institutionalize the Disbursement Acceleration Program as well as recent moves to maintain congressional pork through informal arrangements between departments and lawmakers. The system is truly rotten. Aquino continues to protect this system. The battle has not been won. We need to go out again, to stand up and sign up against pork,” #abolishpork spokesman Monet Silvestre said in an interview with Inquirer.

Sources:

Philippine Daily Inquirer

SignUpVsPork

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THE BRAINS BEHIND TDS

Being skilled in music helped him to communicate easily with other people.

Art tends to handle situations before they become stressful. He doesn't tolerate mediocre works and he says no to procrastination with conviction. 

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"Journalism can never be silent: that is its greatest virtue and its greatest fault. It must speak, and speak immediately, while the echoes of wonder, the claims of triumph and the signs of horror are still in the air." -Henry Anatole Grunwald
Rowie loves hearing compelling stories and relaying it to other people is a work she would eagerly perform. She also consider losing herself on books as her past time. 

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Kai, as others call her, may look like a Chinese girl on the outside, but she definitely has a true Filipina's heart. Her bubbly personality can surely complete anyone's day and it can promote a favorable relationship with the public which she can use to her future job as a media practitioner. She manages her time well and keeps all her activities under control. 

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With wit surpassing all others, Kira is a certified jester. Her greatest asset is her open-mindedness--when people often find a situation controversial or bad, Kira takes a step back and looks at the whole picture with an open mind rather than condemning someone straight out. She is a poetry enthusiast and has a thirst for knowing up-to-the-minute information. 

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Lives by the quote "The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best out of everything." Jaja's passion is dancing, it's her way of expressing her feelings and apart from that she is a very jolly writer, when she's sad, she stops being sad and starts being awesome. 

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Jun may be your typical Asian guy who knows stuff, he is your go-to-guy whenever you need tips in Math or Science. But when it comes to writing and speaking, he struggles to shrug off his Korean side that is still having a hard time pronouncing the letters "R" and "L" making the word "world" a next-level tongue twister.  

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WHAT DOES PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MILLION PEOPLE MARCH?

The “Million People March” is a massive protest of thousands of Filipinos who expressed their indignation against government corruption and called for the full abolition of pork barrel last August 26, 2013. Protests also call for the investigation and punishment of those who misused funds. Estimated 80,000 to 100,000 gathered at the Burnham Grands of the Luneta Park, while thousands more held mass actions in other cities nationwide. Public hubbub against the corruption-tainted pork barrel came in the wake of exposes on the PDAF after whistoleblower, Benhur K. Luy distinguished representative Janet Lim-Napoles who is claimed to have schemed with officials to pocket P10 billion through the fund.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_Development_Assistance_Fund_scam

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THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE MILLION PEOPLE MARCH: What to Expect

THE MILLION PEOPLE MARCH

Last August 22-25,  a series of protests was formed to call for transparency from our government. The main goal of these protests was to abolish the pork barrel which was provoked by the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program. The activity on Monday will be the first anniversary of the Million People March protests which is demanding for political transparency. They celebrated it together with National Heroes Day, which will also be celebrated this August 25 to commemorate the sacrifice of our heroes for our freedom, in Luneta park.

The people who joined the last year's Million People March are expected to participate on the event on Monday. The presence of Vince Lazatin of the Transparency and Accountability Network, Arnold Pedrigal and Bernardo, Peachy Bretana, militant groups, and former Chief Justice Renato Puno are something to look forward to. Vince Lazatin is one of the organizers of the event, and Arnold Pedrigal, together with Bernardo, created the Facebook page entitled "Abolish Pork Barrel" in the Power ng Pinoy Facebook page, to invite participants to the protest, then Peachy Bretana re-posted the page as a call to action with date and place to it. The support of our former Chief Justice Renato Puno is also expected on the said event, because he believes that the people's initiative is the most legal way to abolish corruption.

DIFFERENT REACTIONS GENERATED BY THE EVENT

It was the Les Miserables version of the Philippines. The Million People March of 2013 got a lot of different reactions. But we widely knew that the government remained mum towards the issue. One citizen violently reacted on an article inRappler and said:

“Enough is enough! Shame on those who steal our people's money..... Ooops, but wait, there is nothing you can really do about those without shame but jail them .... Ooops, but wait, they are able to run and hide with conniving traitor Filipinos......Ooops, but wait, even if they are caught and go to jail, our prison system is so ridiculous that convicted felons enjoy their own chefs and butlers, airconditioned rooms, and conduct business as usual with their secretaries and what-not, instead of being behind bars doing hard labor in a far far away place where they should rightfully be ....No wonder we are like this! WHY OH WHY DO WE LET THESE HAPPEN! WE complain, shout, and rally demanding accountability and prosecution, but after that, what? Yes we will march and protest on Aug 26, but let us also DO OUR PART IN BUILDING OUR NATION! Let us build a culture of caring, so those without shame will care, even just a tiny bit, and we will all fall in love with our people and the country that God gave us, just a little more.”

Even with these reactions, people still found a silver lining to the infamous event—that the Filipino people can be united, because they have one goal, one main goal: To give the Filipinos the treatment that they really deserve; that means, they want their money to be allocated to rightful negotiations, abolish corruption and to renew the system of governance that has tarnished the Philippines for so long.

BASIC FACTS ABOUT:

1st Million People March Anniversary

1st anniversary of the million people march | Create Infographics

“On the first anniversary of the MILLION PEOPLE MARCH (MPM), on August 25 (Araw ng mga Bayani), 6am-

1pm, let us gather at Luneta once more and continue our fight against ALL FORMS of PORK BARREL 

and CORRUPTION! Bring along family and friends to this FUN event of GENUINE PEOPLE EMPOWER

MENT! Stand up, Sign up for our FUTURE! Stand Up, Sign UP Against ALL PORK! Pls invite and share!

” - Official Facebook Event Page of the Million People March

WHAT is it about? 

LAST YEAR:

- The Million People March is a rally held last year at Rizal Park wherein thousands of people from 

the Philippines gathered and expressed their clamor against the pork barrel system at which point, 

corrupt officials and the alleged mastermind, Janet Lim-

Napoles managed to defraud an estimated P10-billion from it.

THIS YEAR:

- On Monday, August 25 (National Heroes Day), the 1st anniversary of the Million People March will

 be held at the same place to let people know about a new law that will hopefully put and end to

 the pork barrel system. The passage of that law requires the signature of 
6 million registered voters and the anniversary on Monday includes a signature drive with the 

campaign slogan:“Stand Up, Sign Up” where it will serve as the highlight of the said event.

WHAT is the reason behind it?

LAST YEAR:

- The Filipinos want to fight corruption in the Philippines and this gathering enabled thousands of 

Filipinos to let their distrust and disgust made known to the corrupt elements of the government

 particularly the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

THIS YEAR:

- A new law entitled “The Pork Barrel Abolition Act”was proposed by The Abolish Pork Movement,

 it will prevent and ban the pork barrel system and discretionary funds through a People’s Initiative.

 But before this bill can be passed, 10% of the total registered voters must sign so that the bill can

 be passed on to the Commission on Elections for further analysis. An estimated 6 million signatures 

is needed and the signature drive on the 1st anniversary of the Million People March will greatly 

affect the progress of this law.

WHO are the people behind this event?

LAST YEAR:

- Concerned “netizens”, civil and civic organizations and the anti-pork groups.

THIS YEAR:

- This year the same participants as last year are expected to be behind the organization of this

 event. The law is proposed by the Abolish Pork Movement.

WHAT do they hope to accomplish?

LAST YEAR:

- Increase the awareness and participation of the Filipinos against the current situation of the 

misuse of our national funds throughout social media campaigns and the Million People March.

THIS YEAR:

- Further increase the level of awareness of the Filipinos and invoke their cooperation on the

 passage of “The Pork Barrel Abolition Act” through the signature drive which will be officially

 launched on August 23 at the People’s Congress in Cebu City.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

WHAT:  1st Anniversary of the Million People March

WHERE: Rizal Park

WHEN: Monday, August 25, 2014. 6AM - 1PM.

OFFICIAL HASHTAG: #SignUpVsPork

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: SignUpVsPork

Sources:

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Official Facebook Event of the Million People March

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SONA 2014 FASHION: Who's Fab and Who's Drab?

MANILA, Philippines—SONA, an annual event where the President delivers governmental issues and concerns in a room full of politicians also became an avenue for the lawmakers to ostentatiously display their designer Filipiniana-inspired outfits.

The lawmakers strutted their way to the red carpet, showcasing sophistication in their glamorous attires, almost like a Hollywood event, that received a lot of conflicting reactions from netizens.

Here are some tweets showing not all can dress to impress:

“@Imcarlkalabaw: Congress fashion? More like People’s Money Fashion. #SONA2014” 

“@nursekeyti: Not sure if today is the President’s #SONA2014 or an Oscar-like red carpet event for the crocs in the government.”

Whilst most beg to bicker, some chose to praise the uniqueness of some oufits:

“@mindanaoan: Leave it to Sen. Loren Legarda to wear beautiful #Mandaya tribe inspired outfit for today’s #SONA2014. Thank you for wearing #Mindanao!”

“ailcua: i love heart evangelista’s #sona gown..simple and elegant.. even her hair and make up kumabog..”

According to Kicker Daily News, the best-dressed was Actress Heart Evangelista, girlfriend of Senator Chiz Escudero. Heart Evangelista rocked the red carpet with her white “skeletal terno”, a modern Filipiniana with cage terno sleeves, by designer Carey Santiago.

Heart Evangelista

(Photo credits: philstar.com) 

While the scene-stealers are Presidential sister Kris Aquino, with her striking yellow gown, also by Carey Santiago; Leyte 4th District Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez, who dressed in a nude-colored terno dress created by Randy Ortiz; Senator Loren Legarda took a very tribal ensemble, wearing a Mandaya tribe-inspired outfit. According to an interview, her outfit was given by the indigenous people of Davao. However, netizens have badly criticized Senator Nancy Binay’s peculiar gown—a hybrid of a Filipiniana and the Korean Hanbok made by Paul Cabral. Mommy Dionisia Pacquiao wore a white gown with benign green sequined details—which in an interview Mommy D said that it symbolizes his son’s favorite ulam, tinola. When asked who designed her gown, Mommy D simply replied: “Basta taga-Maynila.”

Nancy Binay

(Photo credits: localpulse.net) 

Lucy Torres-Gomez

(Photo credits: Rappler.com)

Loren Legarda

(Photo credits: fabfashionandstyle.com)

Dionisia Pacquiao

(Photo credits: canadianinquirer.net)

 On the other hand, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago was appalled with the mondaine habit of her fellow lawgivers. She addressed the habit as an “obsession to bling”, which she thinks should not be continued in the next years. Last year, Sen. Miriam proposed a Senate resolution prescribing an official uniform for lawmakers to wear during political events like SONA. 

 The resolution states that women legislators should wear a short pencil skirt, paired with a simple barong blouse, with jewelry being limited to a single strand of Philippine pearls and men legislators should wear a plain long-sleeved barong; both men and women should wear a ceremonial ribbon with the Congress logo; while the audience could wear office attire. 

 Senator Nancy Binay expresses her support to Santiago’s resolution to dress simply in political events like SONA and says that people should bring back the focus on the real purpose of SONA, because it usually centers on what the people are wearing. 

 As of writing, Sen Miriam’s resolution is still pending at the Senate Committee on Rules headed by Alan Peter Cayetano.

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