Youth Groups Organize Candle-lighting Activity to Support People’s Initiative

Calling for a change in our current scenario of patronage politics and corruption under the Aquino administration, a number of students held their stance yesterday, Oct. 2, for a candle-lighting activity along the roads of Fuente Osmeña as they call for public involvement for the People’s Initiative to abolish the pork barrel system.

Various progressive groups of different campus universities and colleges organized the National Youth Sign-up Day to support the People’s Initiative and the activity was held in part of this. The array of students present included youth representatives from the Anakbayan partylist, National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP), College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and the progressive partylist of the youth sector, the Kabataan partylist.

“We ask for the public’s support to join in the ongoing campaign for the People’s Initiative to abolish the pork barrel system and re-channel these funds abused by our government officials to important sectors such as education,” Niño Olayvar of Anakbayan voiced out in vernacular.

Different campuses around the Philippines have put up signature booths for the youth to sign up and take part in the so-called People’s Initiative, a law made by the people to abolish the Pork Barrel system.

According to Olayvar, for the People’s Initiative to be accepted by Congress, there is a need for three percent support from each legislative district and ten percent from the overall voting population.

“We can see that the government has more budget for pork barrel, it has more budget for corruption and considerably less for education,” Ken Ecarma of the Rise for Education Alliance announced.

With a call of “Tindog na! Pirma na! Abolish Pork Barrel!” the activity ended with the candle-lighting activity at around 7 p.m.