Rally vs 2025 budget set Jan. 31 at Edsa Shrine
Two weeks after the peace rally of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), Metro Manila will be the venue of another protest by the end of the month, this time, backed by some members of the Catholic Church.
The “indignation concert and rally” scheduled on Jan. 31 at Edsa Shrine is organized by members of the Clergy and Citizens for Good Governance (CCGC).
“This gathering shows our dissatisfaction with the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA), considered as election budget and the worst budget in Philippine history,” the CCGC said of the P6.326 trillion spending plan that President Marcos enacted last month.
“Let us unite against this dangerous development and demand better responsibility, transparency, and good governance in resource management.”
Military, uniformed personnel
The group said the event would be open to everyone, regardless of their religious affiliation.
According to CCGC, the rally was backed by 12 Catholic bishops, three Evangelical bishops and 230 priests, as well as “hundreds of military and uniformed personnel,” and 54 other civil society groups and youth organizations.
Also attending the program are retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, former Information Communications Technology Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr., former presidential adviser Ronald Llamas, former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno, and former Commission on Audit Commissioner Heidi Mendoza.
In an interview on Teleradyo Serbisyo on Monday, Carpio said “Our agreement is that our rally will have a main unifying theme, which is to protest the problematic 2025 GAA. But the individual partners can add any advocacy they want. Some groups may call for the impeachment [of Vice President Sara Duterte], while our group may include issues on the West Philippine Sea.”
“Our budget is full of flaws, so these should be corrected. We should not just stop at calling for peace alone. We should let our government be accountable,” he added.
Supplemental petition
“The main issue of the rally is 2025 GAA, riddled with pork barrel, the zero subsidy for PhilHealth, zero budget for DepEd’s computerization program,” Carpio said.
He said the government can rectify this year’s GAA by passing a supplemental budget, which could be done anytime.
“If a supplemental budget is not urgently passed, then we will go to the Supreme Court,” the former high court justice said.
He added that a petition is being prepared which would include asking the SC to compel the Executive to earmark to PhilHealth revenues from excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and sweetened beverages.
