PINOY PROTESTERS IN US DEMAND PROSECUTION IN PORK SCAM PROBE
By Rommel Conclara, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
June 23, 2014
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – With arms linked, activists sat in front of the entrance of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco as they chanted for justice for the Philippines.
Last Friday, more than 75 activists from various Anakbayan chapters in the U.S. gathered to protest the pork barrel scandal and other issues in front of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco as part of Anakbayan-USA’s three-day gathering for its first national training and council meeting.
“Let us expose this puppet administration and its crimes against the Filipino people,” said Anakbayan-USA Chairperson Yves Nibungco. “Philippine Consulate and the people inside listen to the voices of Filipino youth. This is just a fraction of the mass movement that is ready to march and overthrow the reactionary system in the Philippines.”
“Pork barrel isn’t an isolated issue,” said Anakbayan-LA Vice-Chairperson Jewelle Dela Cruz. “It is a blatant indicator of one of three basic problems causing the suffering of the Filipino people. It is called bureaucrat capitalism. It is when the government functions as a business working with multinational corporations to profit off the oppression of the Filipino people.”
Despite Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla surrendering to the Philippine National Police, activists call on President Aquino and Filipinos everywhere to do more to ensure justice.
“We dare him to prosecute everyone and not cover up his political allies,” said Nibungco. “We dare him to abolish his own personal pork barrel fund which amounts to P1-trillion. We call on the Filipino people to organize mass action and protests leading up to the People’s State of the Nation on July 28. We are calling on the Filipinos here in the U.S. to register their protest against the corruption in the Philippines.”
Meanwhile in Los Angeles, as the Filipino community celebrated the 153rd birthday of freedom fighter and national hero Dr. Jose Rizal they are grateful in the developments of the pork barrel case.
“We are officially relieved because President Aquino showed that justice should always be observed in the Philippines with the issuance of the arrest order and with the putting in the limelight those who participated in the scam,” said Larry Pelayo of USAAP.
“The process of justice is moving in our country we cannot just live in a situation because of political clout,” said Dr. Marc Caratao of the Knights of Rizal. “They will hide under the rug the very crimes they have committed to our people. We should pursue. If they have done anything wrong they have to be responsible. They have to face justice as an ordinary people does, even if they are senators.”
You can contact Rommel Conclara at rommel_conclara@abs-cbn.com for more information.
Original source: http://www.balitangamerica.tv/pinoy-protesters-in-us-demand-prosecution-in-pork-scam-probe/
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