Million

People March
 The Million People March or famously
known as "Pork Barrel Scam" was the
first ever on-going series of protest in
the Philippines held at Luneta Park on
the 26th day of August 2013. Many
Filipinos expressed their anger through
creating blogs, pages, advertisements
and even memes to show that they
agree to the idea of stopping the Pork
Barrel Fund.
 “It was most probably 60,000
to 70,000 during the rally. At
most, I would say about
100,000,” said National Police
Spokesman Reuben Sindac.
Organizers said the rally drew
as many as 400,000 people.
 A number of people gravitated towards the
“command center” of the protesters where civil
society personalities were allowed to give short
speeches, amid the initial plan not to have any
centralized program.
Middle-aged physician Paz del Rosario, one of
the protesters, said she attended “to be part of a
historic event.”
 Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona,
who was convicted last year by senators for
failing to declare $2.4 million in bank on top
of an allegedly commingled amount worth
P80.7 million, joined the crowd but left after
being heckled by some protesters.
Several civil society groups and peoples
organizations set up discussion areas near Roxas
Boulevard while others showed off their protest
paraphernalia. Several groups of musicians also
performed in various parts of the park.
 Public school teachers, who are
members of the Teachers’ Dignity
Coalition, printed their own rally t-shirts
with the slogan “Scrap the Pork, Jail the
Crooks, Fund our Schools.” They carried
posters with the slogan, “Teachers,
honest taxpayers.”
 Tens of thousands of protesters flash
thumbs down signs during the rally.
 Chief Superintendent Marcelo
Garbo Jr., National Capital Region
Police Office said, no untoward incident
was recorded during the rally.
“We already expected that
because the issue here concerns the
whole Filipino people,” Garbo said in a
phone interview.
 More than 800 police officers and
marshals were deployed in key areas of
the sprawling park, said Police
Superintendent Mannan Muarip, Special
Task Group commander.

At least 180 soldiers served as backup

force in Luneta and along Chino Roces
Street (formerly Mendiola).
 Colonel Manuel Gonzales, head of
Joint Task Force National Capital
Region, said soldiers were unarmed and
only “have their basic equipment such
as shield and baton.”
“They are not allowed to have
firearms,” Gonzales said.
The protesters, mostly clad in white,
dispersed late afternoon peacefully.
ROLE of ict in
million people
march
 The so-called Million People
March was the first of an ongoing
series of protests in the Philippines
calling for the total abolition of the
Pork Barrel fund, triggered by public
anger over the Priority Development
Assistance Fund scam. Initial calls
circulated through social media
(mainly on Facebook and Twitter) to
convene a protest on August 26, 2013
at Luneta Park in Manila as well as
other cities nationwide and overseas.
Some media commentators consider
this as the first ever massive rally in
the Philippines called and organised
mostly through social media
channels.
 The Filipinos behind Power ng
Pinoy, a TV Program in United States,
created a Facebook event page
were thousands signified their intent to
join. The #MillionPeopleMarch had
trend worldwide and it is the key that
the Philippines' first social media
protest is a success.
 A Facebook event entitled "Million
People March to Luneta August 26: Sa
Araw ng mga Bayani. Protesta ng
Bayan!" was created by Arnold
Pedrigal and Bernardo Bernardo
using the Power ng Pinoy Facebook
page to invite participants to the
protest.
Using the power of social media they are inviting
the people to join the protest for the pork barrel
fund mess to be stopped. Their Facebook status
says
“What we need is a MILLION PEOPLE
MARCH by struggling Filipino
taxpayers- a day of protest by the silent majority
that would
demand all politicians and government officials
to stop pocketing
our taxes borne out from our hard works by
means of this pork barrel
scams and other creative criminal acts.”
On the day of the protest itself, the
hashtags used by the coordinating
group #MillionPeopleMarch and
#ScrapPork reportedly trended first
in the Philippines to show
widespread support for the cause
and that a large number of people
monitoring the event.
 In that case, a Facebook event was
entitled"Million People March to Luneta
August 26: Sa Araw Ng Mga Bayani, protesta
ng mga bayani", using the power of the social
media to invite the people to join the protest
for the pork barrel fund mess to be stopped.
Another is a group of people called hacktivist
or the PrivateX repaired at least 30
government websites early or August hours
before the main protests.
 ICT has almost become the platform of
change because the protest is mostly organized
through social media channels. Through this
millennial tool, Filipinos, once again showed
their love for their country and for the people
who works hard for their living that pays their
taxes veraciously yet some government officials
or NGO’s won’t do the same thing and pockets
the money of their countrymen.
 As time goes by, social medial will
always be a part of our great history
because no matter what the situation
is, Filipinos will surely fight for what
is right, cry for what is just and tussle
for what is best for our country by the
means of everything.