Million People March began as an online idea and aims to gather a million people on the Philippine’s National Heroes Day to protest against the pork barrel system in place in the country’s houses of congress.

As of 12NN, Philippine time, thousands have already converged at the capital to call for the abolition of the public funding system.

The pork barrel system is allegedly represented in the 25 billion peso, around $565 million dollars, Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) contained in the nation’s current budget. The money is distributed to members of congress to implement various projects in their respective congressional districts.

On Facebook, at least 18,143 people have confirmed their attendance for the event according to the Philippine Inquirer. Online events similarly named and with the same cause had around several hundreds to thousands of attendees.

The initial plan for a peaceful rally in the country’s capital, Manila, right at its historic national park, Luneta, have snowballed into a national campaign as angry Filipino netizens agreed to hold similar protest actions in various convergence points all over the country.

According to the Inquirer, as protest art and memes circulate online, a number of groups have also come up with paper maché images and statement shirts to bring to the rally.

The leftist political coalition, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, has confirmed that they will parade a “life size barrel man,” placards and streamers to protest the misuse of pork barrel fund.

Professionals and business groups in the nation’s second largest city, Cebu, have come up with face masks, shirts and stickers for distribution to participants of the event. Volunteers from Davao City, a huge metropolitan south of the Philippines, printed shirts bearing the words “Makibaka, wag magbaboy.” It’s near English translation is “lock in arms, don’t mess around.”

Participants of the massive protest said that the goal of the event is to push President Benign Aquino III to finally abolish the PDAF.

“We were heard but we want him to listen,” wrote one of the participants of the protest on the “Million People March” events page.

Various groups stated that the Aquino administration should abolish all lump sump and discretionary funds, including the President’s Social Fund, which many critics has dubbed as “presidential pork” reported the Inquirer.

Indignation of netizens have been fueled further when Philippine Budget Secretary Florencio Abad announced that the PDAF allocation for 2014 will be kept in the proposed government budget,

Many groups, including the powerful Catholic sect, have supported calls to eradicate the pork barrel system in existence in the country’s financial structure.

Archbishop Rolando Tria Tirona of the Catholic church from the Philippine province of Camarines Sur read a pastoral letter that called for the “lawful conviction of those guilty.”