ANGEL HEART M.

DE LOS REYES

“Anti- Pork Barrel Protest”

We are all aware that the Anti- Pork Barrel Protests happened in 2013 and it is
the so-called Million People March at Luneta. It was the primary of a series of protests
within the Philippines calling for the entire abolition of the pork fund, triggered by public
anger over the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam. The National Bureau of
Investigation reveals that Janet – Lim Napoles is the mastermind behind the Pork Barrel
Scam. Whistleblowers and lawyers gave their affidavits expressing that she and her
company defrauded billions of pesos in such ghost projects.

However, it won’t be a successful protest without Information and

Communications Technology (ICT). ICT played a huge role in this momentous event in
Philippine History, most of the Filipinos that is angered by this scam expressed their
feelings and protest by creating pages, blogs, advertisements, and even memes to
show that they’re against it. It all initially circulated through social media on Facebook
and Twitter, to assemble a protest in regards to this issue. They created Facebook
events where they encourage people to join and show people the “Pork Barrel Scam”.
Even the hashtag #MillionPeopleMarch has been trending worldwide and it was a
successful social media protest. Imagine how powerful social media is, the trending
hashtags reportedly that trended first in the Philippines to show the widespread support
of the awareness. ICT becomes again a means of change in the community. Social
Media has been a strong tool during this millennial generation, allowing people to attach
to a wider contact with people, which are far easier, faster, and more convenient.