Press Statement
August 23, 2013
Renato Reyes, Jr. BAYAN Sec- Gen
President Aquino’s press con today merely sought to preempt the Aug26 day of outrage against pork and corruption by pledging the abolition of the PDAF system and replacing it with a new “reformed”system.
To Mr. Aquino, pork by any name is still pork.
Aquino expectedly did not move to abolish presidential pork which is much larger than the PDAF, at least P450 billion by some estimates. The same will still be used to perpetuate patronage politics, well into the 2016 presidential elections.
Aquino again misleads the nation with promises of reform while retaining the very corrupt system of patronage politics that pork represents. The protest on Monday must push through to call for the abolition of all congressional and presidential pork and for accountability not just of Napoles but all officials involved up to the present Aquino government. We call on the people to come out and join the protests on August 26. Tuloy ang laban!
