The Influence of ICT During the Pork Barrel Scam
“I remind you Mrs. Witness, puwede kang tumanggi sa pagsagot sa kahit anong tanong na makakabaon sa iyo sa isang krimen, pero wala kang karapatang magsinungaling. Kapag nagsinungaling ka, lagot ka.”
- Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago to Janet Lim-Napoles
Pork Barrel Scam
The Pork Barrel Scam, also known as the “Priority Development Assistance Fund Scam” (PDAF scam), was a controversial topic and political scandal in the Philippines that was first revealed on July 12, 2013, in an English-language newspaper company, Philippine Daily Inquirer, by a Philippine journalist named Nancy C. Carvajal. Pork Barrel funds are lump-sum, discretionary funds given to legislators for personal projects. These projects may fall into several categories like education, health, livelihood, social services, culture, arts, etc.
According to the Department of Budget and Management, the pork barrel’s noble intentions were to — “Empower legislators to identify key projects that local government units could not fund.” Over time, however, it not only changed faces but also became the target of growing criticism. Historically, the system made way for plundering the national budget, according to the DBM. The National Bureau of Investigation began investigating allegations that the country had been defrauded of billions of dollars through the pork barrel system in 2013, perhaps the biggest scandal to hit the government about the infamous funds.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer published a six-part exposé based on the NBI’s active investigation into a ten-billion-peso scam allegedly managed by Napoles. The newspaper also conducted independent interviews with whistleblowers. The NBI investigation was triggered by what was initially thought to be a kidnapping case that included Napoles and her employee-turned-whistleblower Benhur Luy.
Luy and subsequent whistleblowers exposed how the alleged brains behind the PDAF scam swindled billions of pesos in government funds over a decade. They claimed Napoles set up “no fewer than 20” phony non-governmental organizations to appear as recipients of the PDAF when the funds were placed in her accounts. Documents and signatures were also allegedly fake. They also revealed a web of malpractices by public officials, with whom Napoles supposedly colluded in funneling pork money to the bogus NGOs for bogus projects. In other words, the implicit development funds produced no tangible results and instead ended up in the pockets of the con game.
In the same month, an arrest warrant was issued for Napoles and her brother Reynald “Jojo” Lim for Luy’s grave illegal detention. Napoles surrendered to then-President Benigno Aquino III after a two-week manhunt. Napoles was convicted and sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for illegal detention two years later. After another two years, the Court of Appeals would overturn this decision and clear Napoles. She would remain in jail, however, for the other charges filed against her in connection with the PDAF scam.
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The Power of ICT
“Dapat managot ang lahat ng sangkot!”
- Pork Barrel protestors
Because of the Pork Barrel Scam controversy, on August 26, 2013, a protest called the Million People March, an ongoing protest by many Filipino protestors marched their way to Luneta Park. They were asking for the complete abolition of the Pork Barrel Fund, which had been triggered by public outrage over the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam (PDAF scam).
Many Filipinos expressed their outrage by posting and producing blogs, social media pages, articles, post ads, and even memes to demonstrate their support for the idea of ending the Pork Barrel Fund.
The Filipinos behind Power ng Pinoy, a TV show in the United States, developed an event page on Facebook where thousands expressed their desire to participate. The #MillionPeopleMarch trended worldwide, and it is vital to the success of the Philippines’ first social media protest.
Arnold Pedrigal and Bernardo Bernardo used the Power ng Pinoy Facebook page to create a Facebook event called “Million People March to Luneta August 26: Sa Araw ng mga Bayani. Protesta ng Bayan!” to invite people to the protest.
“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 (whatever political stripes, color they may carry) to stop pocketing our taxes borne out of our hard work through these pork barrel scams and other criminal acts,”
- According to the Facebook status.
On the day of the protest, the coordinating group’s hashtags #MillionPeopleMarch and #ScrapPork started trending first in the Philippines, indicating pervasive interest in the cause and a large number of people watching and attending the event. According to the organizer, nearly 400,000 Filipinos went to the rally.
Because the protest is mostly organized through social media channels, ICT has almost become a platform for change. Filipinos once again demonstrated their love for their country and the people who work hard for a living by using this Millenial tool. Social media has become an integral part of the Philippines’ success.
Author’s Opinion
ICT, or information and communication technology, has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on people all over the world. Sharing information and posting photos on various social media platforms have made it easier for people to communicate. You can easily access certain topics by clicking on them. Many Filipinos have joined the protests to stop the Pork Barrel Scam because of the hashtags used during the protests. It even gave them a protest name, “Million People March,” which intrigued the world’s attention and compelled it to participate in the trending topics.
A simple share and post can make an event notable and a well-known topic. The power of ICT can have a psychological, emotional, and mental impact on someone. As a result, technologies are an excellent tool for assisting people in making their lives easier. Many people can discuss certain topics without even conversing with one another in person, but they can do so online. This is what ICT has done not only for the Philippines but for the entire world.
The ability of ICT success was proved when the Philippines became the first to top trend on social media. It is now possible to enter a new, human-centric era in which technology connects people, thanks to the use of the internet and smart devices. It can also transform economies and societies by lowering information and transaction costs, developing new collaborative models to boost work productivity, encouraging innovation, and creating opportunities and access to basic services.
References
- Limpot, K. (2021, February 14). EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the PDAF scam. CNN Philippines. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/2/14/PDAF-scam-what-you-need-to-know.html
- Role of ICT in Million People March. (2017, March 16). Blogger. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from http://noriewellapancho.blogspot.com/2017/03/role-of-ict-in-million-people-march.html
- Mangosing, F., et al. (2013, August 26). Hundreds of Thousands Join People’s March against Pork Barrel. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 25, 2022, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/475165/tens-of-thousands-join-peoples-march-against-pork-barrel
