MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2013) – The Filipino youth group Anakbayan has condemned the harassment suffered by several participants in the “Million Mask March” in front of the Batasang Pambansa, blaming what it called the paranoia of the Aquino administration.
“The Million March is a slap on the face of Noynoy who keeps claiming that the public supports him despite being the Pork Barrel King. The rally shows that more and more people are no longer being deceived by him, that’s why they are using iron-fist tactics against protests,” Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.
The Million Mask March is a worldwide series of protests initiated by the international hacker group Anonymous. In the Philippines, the local version of the ‘March’ was held in front of Congress to condemn not just the retention of the P25 billion Priority Development Assistance Fund in the 2014 national budget, but also the non-scrapping of the entire P1.4 trillion presidential pork barrel.
“Treacherous and cowardly” was how Crisostomo described the actions of the police at the protest.
He said after blocking the protesters and preventing them from picketing the gate of the Batasan, the police invited several protesters to the nearby police station to supposedly negotiate the terms in which the rally would be conducted. But upon their arrival, they were informed that they were “under investigation.”
“Just like their boss, the Philippine National Police are liars and have no respect for basic human rights,” Crisostomo said.
Crisostomo also hailed the protest, urging the March’s participants and organizers to hold more anti-pork barrel actions both offline and online. He also called on them to closely work with other anti-pork barrel groups.
“The experience shows that if we are not united, we are more vulnerable against Noynoy’s Martial Law tactics. All anti-Pork Barrel King groups should work together and coordinate their efforts,” he said.
For their part, Anakbayan and other youth groups under the Youth Act Now alliance will join a metro-wide ‘KKK: Kalampag Kontra Kurakot’ (Noise Barrage against the Corrupt) on November 13.
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