Press Statement9 September 2013 RECHANNEL PORK BARREL FUNDS TO EDUCATION AND OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES! THE Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) marched today to the House of Representatives, demanding the rechanneling of pork barrel funds to education and other social services. ACT calls for the total abolition of the pork barrel system. “A big amount of the people’s money goes to corruption,” said Benjie Valbuena, ACT National Chairperson. “This is clearly manifested in the recent pork barrel scam involving Janet Lim Napoles, her fake NGOs, with some senators, congressmen and heads of government agencies. Malacañang is also a party to this anomaly.” Valbuena stressed that, “The pork barrel of lawmakers, and even of the President, should have been used to provide the much-needed funds for the shortages in the education sector – more teachers; additional classrooms, textbooks and instructional material, chairs; and water and sanitation facilities.” He also added that these funds may also cover the increase in salaries, demanded by the teachers and government employees. ACT demands that both the presidential and congressional pork barrel must be abolished. “Noynoy Aquino should stop pretending,” France Castro, ACT Secretary General said. “The president pretends to abolish the congressional pork barrel up to 2014, merely proposing a different name for it, and under an itemized system of budgeting under his tighter control. Still, however Aquino calls the pork barrel system, it is still a rotten scheme of political patronage.” Castro added that, since the pork barrel issue was raised, Aquino pretends abolishing the congressional pork barrel, while still trying to keep his presidential pork barrel intact. “Noynoy Aquino is defending his far bigger pork allocation but this, too, should be abolished and channeled towards providing for education and genuine social services to the people.” ACT pledges to actively participate in the campaign for the total abolition of the pork barrel system, and for the rechanneling of pork barrel funds to education and other social services. ACT will join the multi-sectoral anti-pork barrel mobilization on September 13 in Luneta. References: Mr. Benjie Valbuena, ACT Chairperson (09162294515) Ms. France Castro, ACT Secretary General (09204166441)
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 09:36:38 +0000
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