Protests and rallies are scheduled this month as Filipinos all over the world continue to make a statement of outrage against the national issue of pork barrel scam. 

On September 11, protesters will gather for a prayer vigil at Edsa Shrine and another rally is scheduled on September 13 at Luneta. A group of Filipino migrants also declared September 19 as “Zero Remittance Day.”

These rallies are mostly met with support from various sectors. In fact, the Filipinos in Hong Kong already announced that they are joining the Zero Remittance Day.

The secretary general of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong-Migrante, Eman Vilanueva said, “Our money is not meant to feed the greed of the corrupt and the plunderers. The billions of dollars of remittance that we send and the billions of pesos more generated from the long list of fees that the government charges to OFWs that help keep the economy afloat are not meant to keep a thriving corrupt system of governance.”


“Aquino’s unwillingness to totally abolish the pork barrel system comes from the fact that his own pork barrel is the biggest and he uses it to maintain and strengthen patronage politics to ultimately serve the comprador and landlord elites benefiting from a system that remains backward and foreign-dominated,” he added.

Protesters wish to convey that they are angry with the issue of chronic corruption, the slow justice system, and the alleged special treatment of President Aquino to Janet Lim Napoles- which is said to be the mastermind of the pork barrel scam.

In the midst of the protests, the office of the President announced that they are not bothered with it. However, Malacanang instructed the Police to be ready with security measures and also urged OFWs to think twice before joining the “no remittance day”.

According to Abigail Valte, Deputy presidential spokesperson, the event on Sept 19 is set only by one group of OFWs. The Spokesperson also raised concern that the no-remittance day may affect the families and loved ones of the OFWs.

In an interview on DZRb radio, Valte said, “Itong particular call ng one group we leave it to the personal choice of OFWs abroad. Hindi pamahalaan mismo ang tataamaan kundi ang pamilya nila. Baka naman may pangangailangan ang pamilya na dapat nilang tugunan sa araw na 'yan na baka maapektuhan ng panawagan ng isang grupo."

She emphasized that there are people who are worried about the call for abolition of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) as it would affect scholarships and healthcare assistance.

This is the reason why the President is seeking a replacement mechanism if the PDAF will be abolished.

Valte said, “There are a number of constituents who have raised this concern. Precisely, the President recognizes this concern.