PORK BARREL

PORK BARREL SCAM

Here in the Philippines, the PORK BARREL refers to the budget allocation given to the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. This budget is intended to benefit a politician's constituents in return for their political support during election. The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that in 2006 the amount was rounded to P70million for every Congressman and P200million for every Senator. However, instead of endowing these constituents from the 'pork barrel,' many corrupt politicians end up pocketing these millions, even billions of taxpayer's money to finance their lavish and extravagant lifestyles; while the lowliest rural communities in our provinces continue to exist in strife and depravation.

With the recent exposé on the Pork Barrel Scam involving millions up to billions of the taxpayer's money, the entire nation was forcibly awakened by this crisis. This grave news rocked our nation's economic, political, social as well as cultural foundation to its very core resulting in many unfortunate incidents and possibly changes that could ultimately affect the future of our country in the years to come.

PORK in our ECONOMY

The expose on the Pork Barrel scam has had a negative impact on our nation's economy. According to the Philippine Star dated September 2, 2013 by Boo Chanco, with the scam involving the highest political leaders in our country, foreigners begin to question the stability of the current government. This is evident as stocks plummet due to withdrawal of foreign investors each trading day. In fact, it has reached the all-time low of 2008. Both Local and Foreign Investors hesitate to risk much capital in job creating businesses, bidding their time for a more stable political climate. Mr. Chanco further added that "business confidence is in a downward slope following this crisis." Indeed, this gradual economic decline proves that a nation's economy is truly dependent on a stable political environment and more honest and competent bureaucracy.

The multi-million-billion-peso pork scam which rocks the heart of the house of Congress and Senate brings our political leaders in turmoil. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, our lawmakers are seeking support and trust from the Filipino people. They want to be given the chance to prove their worth as elected political leaders. With the scandal in full exposure, Filipinos from all over the nation seek justice and truth for the pork barrel anomalies.

As Filipinos begin to question the integrity of our political leaders, other questions looms ahead: What is their true motivation for seeking political office? Is it truly for service of the Filipino people? Or could it be the lure of future untold riches? Only time will tell what could hold a politician's true motivation for aspiring office.

Another valid point cited by Cito Beltran of CTalk supposes is that the Pork Barrel scam could possibly have funded the emergence of some political dynasties. He further added that as “many incompetent and corrupt political leaders are motivated to go into public office because of the big money to be made in the political arena. Being a politician is more lucrative than actually working for a living.” With this in mind, corrupt people and their family members even resort to crime and violence to reach their political ambition. In reality, the true lure of political office is no longer just for service for others but rather for personal gains.

PORKY POLITICS

PORK-FAT SOCIETY

As Janet Napoles surrenders herself to P-Noy in Malacanang, why then does the

President himself need to bring her into custody? According to the Philippine Star, this failure to delegate sadly implies P-Noy's lack of trust on the ability of his police officers to handle a police matter. Because of this, how can the Filipinos expect the foreigner investors to do the same?

As every Filipino is made aware of the true implication of the Pork Barrel scam, we are forced to face the harsh and bitter reality of our fate as Filipinos. Should this situation worsen, where will all our children be? What will happen to our nation? How can the Philippines have the poorest infrastructures (highways, classrooms, etc.) when we pay one of the highest local and national taxes in Southeast Asia? Consequently, how can we have the weakest Military in the region? Where are our taxes going?

The Pork Barrel scam awakened the hearts of every concerned, patriotic Filipino. Despite unpredictable weather, Filipinos from all walks of life stand together united and showed strength by converging for the MILLION PEOPLE MARCH in Luneta last August 26 to protest the Pork Barrel fund anomalies. This show of force proved to the world and to our very own government that truly the Filipinos have had enough. And starting now, Filipinos want answers. Filipinos seek the truth and they want change.

PORKY SOCIETY

PORK- CULTURE

The price of continued confidence in government is clear. The Philippine Star states that people want senators and congressmen and Napoles to hang for the pork scam. If the P-Noy cannot deliver, maybe Senator Ping Lacson can during the next election. What is certain is that potential investors will be waiting for P-Noy's term to finish before they make business investments in our country. Only then will the Filipino people be assured of good governance as the health of our economy depends on it.

With this crisis yet to be overcome, each and every Filipino must remain vigilant of the comings and goings on in the news. Only this way, can we hope to be completely aware of what the government and the people around is upto.

The Filipino nation has gone through much trials and struggles the past few months, with our undying faith and trust in God, our nation shall once again prevail. As we are resilient, we shall overcome this crisis, but only time will tell.

As a student and as a part of the Filipino community, there are many things that me and other people can do to make the Philippines a better and more peaceful place. Although we are students, we can actually do simple yet effective acts that may be able to change the Philippines. We have talent and skill so we should use it to our advantage and use it for the better of all. As children we have to start by setting good examples to others as we will eventually become the future of the Philippines and we should start small through our simple yet effective actions. In the future, as all of us students become the future of the Philippines, we hope that the simple actions that will take may benefit and cause our county to move on. As the future of the Philippines, we need to take action and try our very best to make it a better place. There are many actions that can be done may it be big or small but we must start small so that we have a feel about what is about to come our way. To help resolve the problems of the modern day Philippines small actions like letting others in the school know and ask them to help spread the word can be one of the ways we can start from. We can also post on the web in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Small actions like this can help a lot. There are many more actions that can be done and it will be shown throughout this entry. As Filipinos, we can take action by alarming the government regarding the situation that we are facing. We can do this by spreading it around and that they may realize what we are trying to do is for their good and the good of all. We can start a campaign for the problem over social networking sites. Posting it on sites such as Facebook and Twitter can alert people and make them realize that it is time for a change and to move on for the better and not to get stuck in our past irregardless of how good or bad it has been. We can also alarm the government by sending mails to them alerting them about the situation and what all of us can do about it. Knowing the attitudes of us Filipinos, we can fight for the better through rallies telling the government how we feel about the situation and suggest to them what can be done. We can all use our talents wisely and make good use of them for our good and for others. We can use our talents wisely like if we are good in sports. We can campaign through the small group that we have and hopefully they may take the initiative to spread it and tell others that there is still hope but it will need our hard work and cooperation. Filipinos must also learn to choose leaders wisely. The government has many internal problem and external problems. We need to understand their case but they need to learn to take responsibility and stop creating problems. We must work and cooperate with the government so that we can solve the problems. We have to make sure that all those involved takes responsibility for their actions.

We have to remember that a state can't function without its people, government, sovereignty and territory. For problems like this , we should not be focused on our territory and sovereignty but we should focus on our government and people because they are everything that can cause the change for the good and better. The government can't function on its own so it need our cooperation and the only way we will succeed is if we work together. As for the students, we must realize the future and we are the future of the Philippines and we should take action now if we want to make a brighter and better future. We must use our talents and ability wisely. We have many unknown talents waiting for us to discover them and we should harness them and use them to our advantage. We should do our best in everything we do and we must try and try until we succeed because we won't know when we will succeed and if we don't we should be proud that we tried and left a mark in this world rather than being a nobody. The key to succeeding need not be a big act but can be through our small actions and our little ways. In relation to what is happening now in the current events Philippines and to the rise of nation states, we cannot function as a whole if we do not work together. We must cooperate and everyone plays a very important role. In the case of the pork barrel, we have already started rallies protesting against the pork barrel but there has not been much of an improvement and I believe that we need the government to make an act and propose something so that we can all work together. I think we can also suggest ideas such as a project that will go against the pork barrel but then again, we all need to cooperate and participate for it to be a success. We must be willing to make a change if we want one and we have to realize that anything is possible if we try and try until we eventually get there. We can't succeed if one part is missing. Overall, we can succeed with our plans of making the nation a better place. All it takes is a push that will get everybody to move and make the world a better place. We need to try and try. We have to believe that we will succeed because if we don't have any faith, don't expect anything to happen. We all know that this is difficult but you'll never know what will come if you do not try. We must know the roles and parts that make up a nation to fully understand what is happening and the things we can do to make it a better place. I hope that all the hard work that has been put in to make the Philippines a better place may benefit all and inspire others to take initiative to everything they can and make this place a better and more successful one and also, let it be our goal to make the Philippines a more fun place and hopefully it will live up to the saying "It is more fun in the Philippines." - Daniel Adrian Chua 9D-02

The Pork Barrel scam has caused a lot of corruption in our government. A lot of money has been stolen from the government. According to the Philippine Inquirer Opinion Columns, billions of pesos are lost to corruption every year. If this corruption stops, then we will be able to rebuild our nation and our country wouldn't be this poor. Filipinos could help solve corruption in many ways. First of, they should really vote wisely in the elections. The reasons on why the government is corrupt is because some of the officials they voted for are corrupt and they were forced to vote for them because they are bribed or blackmailed. If this happens, they are supposed to report it to the government so that they may help them with their problems. Second, they should report the government officials they find corrupt. It would help us be aware of our problems in the government if the government isn't aware of it. They could also help the government with their problems by giving them their opinions once in a while because sometimes, the government just plans things without thinking of what the people thinks. The government should know what each of the different parties are doing so that they may be aware and stop corruption if they see it. Every single one should approve of whatever proposal is given to them first before they execute it. This way everyone would be aware of what the government is spending the money on and would know what is going on. They could also ask the help of the people instead of just settling with things themselves. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and the people's opinion also matters even if it is different from others. What I can do to help stop corruption is to make the people aware of the problems in the Philippines. You could start with the people you know and make them also aware of the problems in the Philippines. A lot of people still doesn't know or care about what is happening in the Philippines and they think that it is not their problem to know these stuff since it doesn't affect them, but it will always affect us indirectly because if their is corruption in the Philippines, then our country may not be that progressive. - Vince Dee 9D-04 Image from:

http://www.bubblews.com/news/1340882-reaction-about-the-pork-barrel-scandal-philippinespilipinas/

In light of the recent pork barrel scandal that has come to our country. I have thought of a solution to rebuilding our country.This action plan will take cooperation from everyone in order to work with efficiency. What the government can do… The government has to think more of the people instead of thinking for themselves. If they agree to do this we can completely remove corruption from the country or at least keep it to a minimum. Politicians should take constant trips to the squatter areas so they remember exactly who they are trying to help. Spending time in the company of the less fortunate (like Payatas) can help them to better understand the problems our country is facing. Doing this on a monthly basis can also help the people get to know their leaders better. If these people also get regular visits from the leaders of the society they may also learn to trust them more. And politicians can learn to better serve the people. What the people can do… The people can report politicians who they have proof of stealing to the department of interior and local government. These reports will then immediately be forwarded to a special comitee which will investigate the case. If the politician is found guilty of corruption then the person who first reported the case will be given a 5000 peso reward for their act of service to the country. Aside from that the people should vote only for the people that they know will do a good job not the people who are popular and influential. What I can do… Even as a student, I can do something to help I as a student can help make people aware of the anti-corruption programs of the government and the corrupt people in the government. This will help make people aware of one of the many problems our country has. By making people aware the government can have more cooperation from the people and with everyone's cooperation this plan can make the Philippines corruption free and without corruption the Philippines can be a great country. - Marco Millan 9D-21

The Pork Barrel scam is one of the big problems in our nation right now and it is shattering our nation little by little. It is an act of corruption in the government and presently people are rallying to stop the Pork Barrel scam. I have made an action plan to help fix our government, so that this scam will not happen again. In order for this action plan to work, we all need to cooperate and work together as one nation. As a filipino citizen... We can help by voting wisely by voting the people not because they are popular or famous, but because you know that they can make our country better. Example: vote the person who helps the poor people and who keeps their promise that they will make our country better. Another example is vote the person who helps the people affected by typhoons and earthquakes and the person who is simple and entertains the people's needs. We should also be responsible filipino citizens and not to accept bribery from candidates to vote them. Example candidate pays you to vote him/her and you accept it, because of this people accepting the bribe will think that they wont have a hard time but after awhile they will complain on government corruption. We can also help by reporting the politicians that steal from the government when there is proof. Example you see a politician who steals money from the government so you report it to the DILG then you show them your proof. This is a good action that you can do to help make our country better. As a government official... As a government official you can help by not only thinking for the benefit of yourself, but also for the

benefit of the others and our nation. Example a government official thinking about what project will benefit the people and not what will benefit him. The government can also create a secret committee that monitors the politicians spendings and the their earnings, it will also monitor the politicians deposits and withdraws. This committee will be unknown and kept from the public and the government and only the president and the Vice-president knows about this because it is them who manages it. This will result to no corruptions in the government because it is monitored. Example, a politician steals from the government and withdraws it to his bank account, therefore the committee will see and the there will be no corruptions. I as a student... I as a student can help by sharing my knowledge about this and how to stop it. We can all work together so that we may stop the corruption in our nation. Right now as students, we know what is happening in the society/nation and we are also aware of the problems of our society/nation, because of this we can help even a little by helping the people affected by this by donating. We can also help in the future because we are educated and we practice voting of candidates in school therefore, we vote wisely. We are also educated not to taking bribery and we know the cause of voting wrong leader and bribery, it results to corruption and corruption leads to destroying our nation. We can also help by informing the people that doesn't know anything or the uneducated people about the pork barrel and corruption and we can also teach them on voting wisely and tell them the result of not voting wisely/bribery. - Miguel Villareal 9D-34

The last few months have wrought much havoc in the daily lives of very Filipino. It began with the Pork Barrel Scam and continued further with the Zamboanga Crisis. In between these political issues, our country suffered several calamities in between. Despite much struggle and difficulty, the Filipinos of today have proven to be resilient and have continued to survive these trying times. They will continue to do so until the years to come.

The Pork Barrel scam erupted months ago with Janet Lim Napoles stuck in the middle of it all, dragging several known political leaders in her lair. This in turn spun out of control prompting the Million March against the Pork Barrel in Luneta last August 26. At the heart of this scandal is the abuse and misuse of taxpayer’s money. All supposedly used to fund worthwhile government projects to benefit the entire nation, but instead have gone to the deep pockets of our very corrupt political leaders.

Another issue taking the limelight is the Zamboanga Crisis. With so much internal turmoil within the capital, this is another important issue making headlines in Mindanao. We have to ask ourselves, if this is indeed truly happening? Or is this just mere coincidence? Could this possibly be a diversionary tactic to shift the attention from the corrupt political leaders under investigation by the Blue Ribbon Committee? We are uncertain really. What we know is that much damage to property has happened to our barely developed provincial towns; consequently, many innocent lives have already been lost in this meaningless war between fellow Filipino brothers in our very own nation.

As Filipinos, only we can make a difference to our country in the midst of this hardship. It is the duty and responsibility of every Filipino to support and care for its country and people. By doing so, Filipinos can slowly rebuild the nation. (1)Every Filipino can begin to do this by getting involved wholly in the affairs of the country, not standing on the side lines when a scandal arises. Letting his voice be heard in important matters concerning state and the welfare of all. This way, political leaders will not continue to abuse their authority as there are concerned people seeking accountability for mistakes at the expense of the people. The Million March against the Pork Barrel scam was a good start for a concerned citizen. (2)Another important way for a citizen to help rebuild the nation is to pay taxes. In this way, the government can generate enough funds to provide services and projects to benefit the Filipino people. (3)As there are several calamities affecting the lives of many Filipinos, one can share the responsibility by taking part in drives to help the poor and needy in these trying times. Monetary and material donations can certainly alleviate the poor conditions of our less

fortunate brothers and sisters during typhoons and other natural calamities. (4)Another simple way to help rebuild a nation is to lead an honest and god-fearing life. By doing so, he can lead an honest and un-corrupt life following the rules of the city and country. If every Filipino does this, the life of every Filipino becomes less complicated and more peaceful. (5) Being responsible citizens when electing leaders for public office is also another way of rebuilding. By totally foregoing “kamag-anak” system and bribery, we can avoid corruption practices within the government. When we do elect capable and effective leaders, bribing and side deals and commissions within government officials are eliminated. In a larger picture, our country will be in a better state financially and administratively. Because the person in charge already knows what he is doing and how to do something, he will not need a “broker” to help him complete the deal.

Because the people have responsibilities in the rebuilding process, so does the government. To avoid corruption within the government, the government officials must adhere to certain law practices while serving public office (1) Those joining public office must first give up their personal business/connections while serving the government during their entire term. This way, no personal interest stands in the way of serving the citizens totally; conflict of interests of any kind are avoided. (2) All government transactions involving money big or small must be made transparent to all concerned. This way side deals or commissions within people brokering deals within the government can be avoided or totally eliminated.(3) Government officials holding key or principal positions must be accountable for every questionable deal or transaction by their departments. Accountability will lessen if not minimize corrupt practices within a certain unit. (4) Severe punishments must be exercised when violation of any or all rules are broken. No exceptions made. If all of these practices are met, a new and honest government system will be in effect and less irregular practices will be encountered. The government practice of Singapore is a good example and has proven most effective. For a very small country, it has elevated itself to the level of the Super Powers considering its previous state years before. It is only a matter of practice and discipline by the citizens and the government officials.

The youth has the most important role in rebuilding our nation. We are empowered to make the changes necessary to improve our current state. We have to be involved in all issues concerning our country. We must be aware of all comings and goings on as it will affect us directly at the present time or even our future generations. With regards to

the pork barrel scam, we have to let our voices be heard. We are not accepting the state of corruption our nation is in. If this continues on, what will happen to our future as a nation? Will we be carrying on the debts of our ancestors? Certainly not, we must push for change and good governance. Only this way, will we hope to have a chance at a better tomorrow. When we have the chance to vote, we must elect our leaders wisely. Only this way can we avoid corrupt practices taking place now. As they say, practice makes perfect. In leading one's life, one has to work and live within certain codes of discipline following rules and not taking short cuts; by doing so, one can continue with this way of life until maturity and this will carry on to the future while interacting with people and the community. When one has to deal with real life as an adult, these honest practices with values of honesty and integrity will prevail in life.

- Matthew Yap 9D-37

SOURCES : http://www.philstar.com/business/2013/09/02/1161001/pork-will-affect-business-confidence http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/08/26/1135191/pnoy-and-pdaf-false-positive http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/482897/senators-pray-to-keep-peoples-trust-in-wake-of-pork-barrel-scam#ixzz2hej8cRLQ  http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/482897/senators-pray-to-keep-peoples-trust-in-wake-of-pork-barrel-scam http://www.apl.org.ph  http://www.partidongmanggagawa2001.blogspot.com  http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/127451/what-do-we-young-people-think-of-pork-barrel-scam http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/09/04/1170321/better-use-pork-barrel http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/127451/what-do-we-young-people-think-of-pork-barrel-scam#ixzz2helDchfH  *images are from google

9D Group 3by