Senate heeding people’s call on pork

This is in response to the article “QC street crackles with ‘Porktoberfest’” (Front Page, 10/27/13). The article stated that around 400 people joined the “Porktoberfest” to call for the abolition of the pork barrel and to prosecute people who used public funds wrongly.

The Senate has heeded the people’s call. It has moved to abolish the pork barrel allocations from the national budget for next year and is working on implementing reforms to prevent a similar occurrence in the future.

In addition, the Senate has initiated investigations to uncover the truth behind the pork barrel controversy. Senate President Franklin Drilon has assured the public that the Senate will be relentless in its pursuit of the truth on the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam. He said those who will be found guilty of misusing public funds will be held accountable

for their actions.

It is for this reason that Drilon is also pushing for the passage of the Freedom of Information bill. The measure, which has been approved at the Senate committee level and is expected to pass final reading by next year, aims to curb corruption by making government records and transactions accessible and available to the general public.

The Senate remains a vanguard of democracy and a beacon of truth and justice. Over the years, it has steered the passage of laws that improved the lives of the people and accelerated the nation’s progress. After implementing all the reforms, difficult as they are, the Senate will emerge from this crisis a much stronger democratic institution.

—PILAR GINA S. MACROHON,

Public Relations and

Information Office,

Senate, [email protected]