BLACK FRIDAY - A NEW FORM OF PROTEST
Description:
My fellow e-Mandirigmas,
Last Friday, February 24 � as the nation was preparing to celebrate the freedom we regained at EDSA two decades ago, Ms. Arroyo issued Proclamation 1017 declaring a state of emergency, in response to a military uprising.
In the hours and days that followed, it became evident how GMA intended to implement this presidential decree. We saw the excessive use of police power in dispersing the crowds. And even after the military threat was decisively contained, we saw the warrantless arrests of known opposition leaders, the closure of newspapers, and the barefaced intimidation of media owners and practitioners.
PD 1017 is eerily similar to PD 1081. And the pattern is unmistakably Marcosian. Crackdown on the reds � the public has no love lost for them, anyway. Control media. And prop up the illusion of a new order after the purging.
I�m glad that many, who have been sitting on the fence all this time, saw through the farce and finally came out to take a stand. I saw prominent businessmen, showbiz personalities, and working professionals go to the streets to defy the proclamation.
Sadly, however, there are those who remain unmoved. Worse, they even embrace the GMA propaganda that this is ultimately for the greater good.
I am reminded of 1972 where many in the middle class and the business community actually welcomed the "New Society" of Marcos. They lauded the arrests of known communists; they deserved it, many thought. They didn't mind reading and watching government-censored news. They didn't mind the imposition of curfews and the curtailment of some basic rights. All these were a small price to pay in the interest of stability and prosperity, or so they thought.
Until one day, the government began sequestering their business. Until one day, they began arresting someone close to home and they realized they had very little legal recourse to protect their rights.
It is time for the business community, the middle class, and all other sectors to make a stand.
The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches us there is a season for everything. I believe this is the season for mourning� the death of democracy and the numbing of our national conscience.
It is time to reawaken. It is time to be counted. It is time to say, �tama na! sobra na!� Please register now by sending blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and pass this on to all your friends, colleagues, and egroups.
By God�s grace, we may yet see a better Philippines for our children.
God bless,
Enteng
eMandirigma
--------------
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for some good men to do nothing." - - Edmund Burke
The Black Friday Protest Movement was launched by eLagda on March 1 to give professionals, students, businessmen, and other sectors a venue to express their protest against the continuing and escalating acts of repression of the GMA administration as manifested in its series of proclamations – CPR, EO 464, and PP 1017 – all designed to curtail basic rights and oppress the people.
Patterned after the flash mob concept, the Black Friday Protest calls on people to gather at a designated time and place every Friday wearing a black attire as a symbol of protest. There will be no programs or speeches. Instead, people will be given specific instructions on what to do, and the whole exercise should last about 30 minutes at most. It's safe, non-confrontational, and within the bounds of the law, even under a repressive one like PP 1017. The mere gathering of the people is the expression of protest.
Ingredients:
All you need to do is, every Friday, you and your friends can wear black, go to a designated place and hang around for about 30 minutes and leave.
Directions:
How will you know the designated time and place?
Register by sending a blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. When you�re registered, you will receive an announcement every Wednesday evening (Manila Time) of the designated time and location for the coming Friday (example: 5:00 to 5:30 PM at the nearest Jollibee restaurant from your place).
Details of the Black Friday Protest action for the week will be published at its blogsite – www.BlackFridayProtest.blogspot.com every Wednesday evening. Those who would like to receive instructions directly can also subscribe to the movement’s bulletin service by sending a blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
My fellow e-Mandirigmas,
Last Friday, February 24 � as the nation was preparing to celebrate the freedom we regained at EDSA two decades ago, Ms. Arroyo issued Proclamation 1017 declaring a state of emergency, in response to a military uprising.
In the hours and days that followed, it became evident how GMA intended to implement this presidential decree. We saw the excessive use of police power in dispersing the crowds. And even after the military threat was decisively contained, we saw the warrantless arrests of known opposition leaders, the closure of newspapers, and the barefaced intimidation of media owners and practitioners.
PD 1017 is eerily similar to PD 1081. And the pattern is unmistakably Marcosian. Crackdown on the reds � the public has no love lost for them, anyway. Control media. And prop up the illusion of a new order after the purging.
I�m glad that many, who have been sitting on the fence all this time, saw through the farce and finally came out to take a stand. I saw prominent businessmen, showbiz personalities, and working professionals go to the streets to defy the proclamation.
Sadly, however, there are those who remain unmoved. Worse, they even embrace the GMA propaganda that this is ultimately for the greater good.
I am reminded of 1972 where many in the middle class and the business community actually welcomed the "New Society" of Marcos. They lauded the arrests of known communists; they deserved it, many thought. They didn't mind reading and watching government-censored news. They didn't mind the imposition of curfews and the curtailment of some basic rights. All these were a small price to pay in the interest of stability and prosperity, or so they thought.
Until one day, the government began sequestering their business. Until one day, they began arresting someone close to home and they realized they had very little legal recourse to protect their rights.
It is time for the business community, the middle class, and all other sectors to make a stand.
The Book of Ecclesiastes teaches us there is a season for everything. I believe this is the season for mourning� the death of democracy and the numbing of our national conscience.
It is time to reawaken. It is time to be counted. It is time to say, �tama na! sobra na!� Please register now by sending blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and pass this on to all your friends, colleagues, and egroups.
By God�s grace, we may yet see a better Philippines for our children.
God bless,
Enteng
eMandirigma
--------------
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for some good men to do nothing." - - Edmund Burke
The Black Friday Protest Movement was launched by eLagda on March 1 to give professionals, students, businessmen, and other sectors a venue to express their protest against the continuing and escalating acts of repression of the GMA administration as manifested in its series of proclamations – CPR, EO 464, and PP 1017 – all designed to curtail basic rights and oppress the people.
Patterned after the flash mob concept, the Black Friday Protest calls on people to gather at a designated time and place every Friday wearing a black attire as a symbol of protest. There will be no programs or speeches. Instead, people will be given specific instructions on what to do, and the whole exercise should last about 30 minutes at most. It's safe, non-confrontational, and within the bounds of the law, even under a repressive one like PP 1017. The mere gathering of the people is the expression of protest.
Ingredients:
All you need to do is, every Friday, you and your friends can wear black, go to a designated place and hang around for about 30 minutes and leave.
Directions:
How will you know the designated time and place?
Register by sending a blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. When you�re registered, you will receive an announcement every Wednesday evening (Manila Time) of the designated time and location for the coming Friday (example: 5:00 to 5:30 PM at the nearest Jollibee restaurant from your place).
Details of the Black Friday Protest action for the week will be published at its blogsite – www.BlackFridayProtest.blogspot.com every Wednesday evening. Those who would like to receive instructions directly can also subscribe to the movement’s bulletin service by sending a blank email to BlackFridayProtest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Awesome. Finally, flash mobbing aided by technology. Dapat may SMS flash mobbing din... w00t!
ReplyDeleteand GMA just lifted the state of national emergency at 11:30 am so we're not going to starbucks later anymore, but we're still pushing through with the rally (at the IBP offices nationwide, 130pm in Cebu) because she still hasn't been able to explain why she issued illegal orders for warrantless arrests and media raids/ harrasment in the first place. (that, and all the rest of her anomalous "transactional politics").
ReplyDeleteby lifting Proclamation 1017 today, before the protest fully swelled (most rallies were scheduled for today) and before the Supreme Court could call them for the hearing on tuesday, she's saying again, "let's move on" and pretend nothing happened.