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Palawan to join anti-'pork' protest


Anti-pork barrel protesters in Palawan are also set to gather on Monday in solidarity with their counterparts in Manila as well as in Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, and Iloilo cities.

According to an event posted on Facebook, the assembly will be at Puerto Princesa Baywalk at 8 a.m. for a jogging protest activity.

Palawan is locked in a wealth-sharing dispute with the national government over the Malampaya funds, the supposed misuse of which is being blamed on fugitive businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

About P900 million on Malampaya funds that were supposed to be distributed among areas affected by Typhoon Pepeng and Ondoy in 2009 were allegedly funneled to Napoles’s bogus non-government organizations.

Malampaya is a natural gas field located in the West Philippine Sea, off northwest Palawan. Natural gas from it feeds three power plants with a combined capacity of 2,700 megawatts equivalent to 40 percent of Luzon’s power generation requirements.  

Despite President Benigno Aquino III's pronouncement that the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork barrel, will be abolished, anti-pork barrel advocates said Monday's gathering, dubbed in social media as the Million People March, will still push through.

In Manila, the assembly will be at 9 a.m. in front of Luneta Grandstand, while in Baguio it will be at Burnham Park at 12 noon.

In Cebu City, the assembly will be at  Fuente Osmeña after which the participants will march to Plaza Independencia. In Davao, the assembly will be at Rizal Park at 9 a.m.
 
Anti-pork barrel advocates in Dumaguete City will gather at Rizal Boulevard at 9 a.m. while those in Iloilo will meet 9 a.m. at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.

In the Manila assembly, there will be a group of bikers that will also join the activity. They will assemble at Mehan Garden in Luneta Park at 8:30 a.m. They will ride around Quirino Grandstand while having a bikers’ noise barrage.

Meanwhile, a group will bring 200 pieces of native musical instruments bungkaka and tungatong for their own noise barrage called “Tugtugan Hindi Sigawan” during Monday’s Luneta gathering. The assembly will be at Museong Pambata at 8 a.m. 

Another group plans to take spirit of the Luneta gathering to Malacañang. Around 2 p.m., after joining the activities in the grandstand, the group will march to Mendiola. 

There will be merchandise like T-shirts and stickers available during the Luneta gathering.

One concerned citizen even posed online a printable template to make paper pig's ears and snout for the August 26th event. — KBK, GMA News

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