Marchers, Manila police gird for Monday's pork-barrel protest

Representatives of groups joining Monday's Million People March, a protest against the allegedly graft-ridden pork barrel fund, met with top officials of the Manila Police District Saturday to discuss security arrangements.

Manila police were on full alert by Saturday afternoon in anticipation of the protest march, with a part of Roxas Boulevard from T.M. Kalaw to P. Burgos to be closed by 9 a.m. of Monday.

Meanwhile, the National Parks and Development Committe was apprehensive over the protesters' insistance that there be no sole organizer for the event, as it would make it difficult for fines to be handed out if park facilities were damaged.

Margaux Salcedo, spokesperson for Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, said that the mayor would allow the march to go ahead despite the lack of a permit, but with police supervision.

“There will be police on standby but he respects freedom of expression and will not interfere as long as the gathering is peaceful,” she said.

Since the Million People March event page was created in August 17, thousands have said they were joining the protest.

The Million-People protest aims to see the pork barrel scrapped, and for the senators and congressmen involved in the alleged pork-barrel scam “investigated and charged accordingly, with full media coverage for the people to see.”

The protest march was still scheduled to continue, despite Friday's announcement by President Benigno Aquino III that the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel was abolished as protesters were concerned that the government's move was merely cosmetic. “We were heard but we want him to listen. We have more to say,” read an announcement on the protest's web page.

Elsewhere, other cities said they would be joining Monday's protest as they will have parallel marches. Puerto Princesa Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Dumaguete, and Iloilo cities have said that they, too, would hold Monday protests. — Rie Takumi/DVM, GMA News