Slye Joy Serrano @Slye2812h said: The President thinks the Filipino people can be fooled. Hindi ho kami tanga. #noynoyspeech
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Sirang plaka (broken record). This is how progressive youth group Anakbayan described the speech of President Benigno S. Aquino III over national television October 30. Sirang plaka or a broken record is an old metaphor describing statements that are repeated over and over again much like a broken record.
Aquino delivered his speech at 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday broadcasted live on primetime television. In his speech Aquino defended the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and asserted its constitutionality. He said that the DAP stimulated economic growth. He also said that there had been no irregularities in the implementation of DAP projects. He also stressed that he is not a thief.
But for progressive groups, last night’s presidential address is no different from his previous statements.
“To paraphrase William Shakespeare in his play Macbeth, Aquino’s speech is essentially full of sound and fury signifying nothing. What he said didn’t differ much from the alibis given earlier by his proxies Abigail Valte and Edwin Lacierda to the media,” said Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi De Jesus.
ACT Teachers’ Party Rep. Antonio Tinio also said the same. “His main message, asking everyone to focus on the prosecution of those who stole from PDAF, is gratuitous, at best. The public has no intention whatsoever of letting the PDAF plunderers off the hook. This in no way precludes anyone from questioning the DAP. Contrary to what the President would have us believe, these are not mutually exclusive.”
“Aquino’s 10-minute primetime speech on Wednesday is nothing but a waste of time to all Filipinos who waited and hoped for positive developments on the issue of the abolition of the pork barrel system, DAP and other corruption-ridden issues hounding his administration,” Mark Louie Aquino, spokesman of #ScrapThePork Alliance and secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-NCR said.
‘Defending the corrupt system’
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Aquino speech is nothing but a desperate defense of DAP and presidential lump sum discretionary spending or pork. Bayan called it as “Gloria-esque.”
“It desperately sought to justify presidential lump-sum discretionary spending amid growing public disgust over corruption. Aquino defended the corrupt system.”
“He says the issue is corruption yet he conveniently omits the fact that DAP funds also went to Napoles’ NGOs and corrupt politicians. He draws distinction between PDAF and DAP but omits the fact that both were abused and ended in corruption. Both were used as leverage to dictate on Congress,” Bayan said in a statement.
Bayan reiterated that the DAP is unconstitutional because the funds were not actual savings and the realignment done violated the General Appropriations Act.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon called Aquino’s speech as obstinate defense on the benefits of DAP. “The unconstitutional use of funds through the DAP proves that Aquino’s presidency, although seemingly ‘nonstick as Teflon’, is as unclean as the entire PDAF scam.”
Rison said in both cases, Aquino defended both programs, but remained silent on its misuse. He said the DAP is a usurpation of the constitutional prerogative of Congress to determine specific appropriations of government. “Portions of it do not even constitute savings of government, as funds were impounded without the fiscal year having ended.”
Ridon said the President could not now unflinchingly defend the DAP in view of the involvement of high executive officials in allegedly anomalous transactions, such as the alleged misuse of the Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Fund.
“We should not forget that even during the Aquino administration, Napoles’s NGOs operated in major executive agencies such as the DA and the DAR.”
For the #ScrapThePork Alliance the President’s defense of DAP and the Presidential Social Funds (PSF) only justifies the tag “Pork Barrel King.”
“No other words can best describe him than the Pork Barrel King, as he remains firm in backing up DAP and his own presidential pork,” said Aquino.
Netizens’ rage
Netizens also expressed rage over Aquino’s speech. Blogger Noemi Lardizabal-Dado @momblogger said: Please listen to your people Mr President because we deserve your loyalty more than your KKK. Sa Tuwid Na Daan, Tuwid Ang Paraan #ScrapPork
Public service has to be improved . We want public funds to go straight to depts w/o being a tool for Patronage Politics #scrapPork
Tonyo Cruz @tonyocruz said: The title “Pork Barrel King” clarifies the issue since PNoy arrogantly refuses to abolish the pork barrel system and defends his own pork.
Slye Joy Serrano @Slye2812h said: The President thinks the Filipino people can be fooled. Hindi ho kami tanga. #noynoyspeech
Marc Lino Abila @iMacoy12h: An attempt to pacify the people w/c will surely fail. Very Marcos-like with the captive audience and using the media.
Jian Carlo Gomez @JCTheGoodBoy12h: mukha lang syang tanga. Di na nya kayang kuhanin simpatya ng mamamayan.
Hannah Vina Traviña @kitsay12h: Ang puno’t dulo ng kanyang speech, hindi tatanggalin ang Pork Barrel.
Evil Mitch @michsilog12h: No one believes him, hindi na ganun ka-tanga ang mga Pinoy para di makitang naghuhugas-kamay lang siya.
Tonyo Cruz also said: Tonight’s speech confirms that PNoy has been put on the defensive for his refusal to abolish the corrupt pork barrel system. Deal with it
More protests
The groups said that Aquino’s speech would generate more protests against the government.
“It is clear that Aquino made the speech in response to his dwindling popularity. Despite the feel-good rhetoric and cover-up attempts, it is clear that the Aquino regime remains in panic mode and that Aquino is losing sleep, if not hair, over the people’s mounting anger and protests over the pork barrel system,” the labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno said.
Bayan said, “It is clear we cannot expect change from Malacañang.” The group said that Aquino is driving people to work harder for the abolition of all pork, through the SC petitions, sustained protests and through the People’s Initiative against pork.
“We will be going back to the streets on November 7 for the Napoles Senate testimony, November 11 for the Supreme Court Oral Arguments against DAP and on November 13 for the Kalampagan Kontra Korapsyon.” 
