Not a walk in the park

The government is now suffering from extreme Paranoia.

Any group of 30 people wearing the same shirt color strolling the park or simply enjoying a drink in a restaurant can now be considered an illegal assembly. What next, having the same hairdo is illegal?

Who said we are not in a Martial Law?

Dios ko, Black and White Movement…nakaka-inis talaga kayo. Ang aking bagong itim na gym outfit hindi ko na magamit sa katangahan ninyo.

(Puede bang i-sue ang Black and White in case I can’t return the clothes?)

ryebosco:
pwde pa naman black shirt… pero mas mabuti PLAIN na lang.. kasi kung may nakasulat , baka akala si GMA ang tinutukoy mo.

the police wants lawful dissent to park from the walk.

“They even have a SWAT team outside WPD,” said Kaimo, who was at the police headquarters. “There’s even an APC (armored personnel carrier) in the compound and there are policemen carrying high-powered guns. They’re beefing up security here. Across the street, there are 12 policemen with Armalites. Police don’t usually carry this kind of firepower. I don’t know what they were expecting.”

Ikaw talaga Kaimo..nag-aabang lang ang mga pulis sa kung ano man ang mangyayari. Hindi naman sila paranoid, proactive lang.

sandali…may mga naka-post sa BWM website calling people to a protest dun eh…diba kelangan ng permit yon kahit 5 lang sumipot sa protest?
quote from this post “The protests, however, were also a way to elude the current ban on rallies. Sure enough, the police soon wisened up”

Sane people anywhere in the Philippines wear black only on Fridays. (Be sure it is only plain black- with white letters on the lower portion which can be tucked in and out.) What say you?
— im agreeable to that. black shirt white letters right?? spread the word

“They made a big boo-boo here,” said Black and White convenor Gerry Kaimo, an independent record producer and online activist. “It was a non-event. We were just doing what we have been doing the last three Fridays. We wear black, 20 to 30 people, and we hardly got any media attention. Now the media is covering it and following us wherever we go. It became a big issue.”

-HAPPY NOW, GERRY?

“Sane people anywhere in the Philippines wear black only on Fridays. (Be sure it is only plain black- with white letters on the lower portion which can be tucked in and out.) What say you?”

good idea tet.

Some corrections. Bill Luz is still executive director of the Makati Business Club. Louie and Triccie Sison were among the original convenors of the Black and White Movement. But they were replaced by former economic planning secretary Cielito Habito.

It was a tactical mistake by the police…Maybe they’re just going to say that they took Dinky and Enteng away for their safety? (remember Baraquel?)

Effects of the apprehension:
1. Free publicity for BnW
2. More media coverage from now on
3. Some cases of illegal arrest against the police
4. More people joining the Friday actions
5. More people showing support (by honking horns, thumbs up sign, etc.)

Mas maganda kung ang ilalagay sa T-shirt eh…’IBAGSAK at IKULONG ang MANDARAYA, SINUNGALING AT MAGNANAKAW! …Siguro naman di na huhulihin ng mga pulis ang mga may suot nun kahit na marami sila dahil maganda ang adhikain…meaning these people are against these CRIMES! …At hindi naman sasabihin ng mga pulis at Raul Gonzales na si GMA at tinutukoy!…Hehehe! Bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan huwag magagalit

Sane people anywhere in the Philippines wear black only on Fridays. (Be sure it is only plain black- with white letters on the lower portion which can be tucked in and out.) What say you?

Hi Tet, Helga of BnW liked your idea.

Why OUST? Why not support the opposition congressmen in their bid to impeach the president??? It’s just a couple of months of waiting…more time has passed and NOTHING has happened. The people are not going out on the street in droves. Maybe it’s time to admit this OUST movement is NOT working.

I am not FOR or AGAINST anyone. But we all have got to start facing reality here and see things for what they are. STREET protests and ousting another president is not flying with majority of the population and that’s why it’s not taking off. It’s wasted energy, resources that could go to better use supporting an impeachment.

Ay, MitaMs, I will not belabor your point, you are quite well cemented in it anyway.

Just so you know, the Black Friday Protest is only one of our initiatives among many. Do yourself a favor and visit our blogs and website, read the newspapers, and watch TV news to see what we’ve been up to. And once again, I will exercise my freedom to disagree with you by saying that our protest IS working – we have gotten requests for tee shirts from here and abroad, so we are happy to announce that in a few days, artwork speed and spec check notwithstanding, we will be providing free downloads of all our Black Friday Protest collaterals on all our sites.

Oh, before I forget – we never got to “walk in the park”. I would check my facts, if I were you.

MitaMS,
Sa isang bansang may DEMOKRASYA, HINDI BAWAL O ILEGAL ang MAGPROTESTA. As long as it is peaceful. And the Philippines is a demoratic country. Sa mga NAGMAMALASAKIT SA ATING DEMOKRASYA, HINDI MASAMA ANG KUMALABAN sa mga KAMALIAN ng administrasyon ni Arroyo. MARAMING MGA PROTESTA DAHIL MARAMING KAMALIAN at KAWALANGHIYAANG GINAGAWA ANG ADMINISTRASYON NI ARROYO. Unless na PUMAPAYAG KANG WINAWALANGHIYA KA!

mitaMs, if i may;

let us allow BnW the benefit of the doubt. u have expressed ur reservations, leave it there.

there is a fine distinction between wars and battles, i. e. one may win most of his battles but still lost the war- american revolution is full of specific examples.

impeachment is a battle, so is with wearing black tees on fridays, and rallies, etc. one may have his specific preference based on the person’s or group orientation, point-of-view, and perspective.

obviously, u prefer impeachment, others want another form or combination of each. some, want to engage in all of these.

i prefer to ask friends though, what is your war?

Before i join in the discussion it must emphasize an important thing in this article. What happened to Dinky and Risa Baraquel is that they were arrested without formal charges. Meaning, they were hauled forcibly (or invited) even though they were not breaking any laws. The no-rally, no permit policy only has a basis for protests that may obstruct traffic, or they pose a clear and present danger to vital gov’t offices. In the case of Dinky neither two conditions existed, so a permit is not required for their silent protest.

If ever we get arrested we must first ask the officers what are our charges, if cannot cite any then we cannot be arrested.

Mita,

We cannot say that street protests are futile. It is like a slap in the face of those who continously march. We must acknowledge the fact that these people are sacrificing their time, effort, money and physical well-being by doing what they think seems best. We must remember that there are many ways to win a fight.

As for supporting the opposition, im not really bent on supporting the opposition as a whole because there are a lot of questionable figures in the opposition. Mga pulitiko yan e, at mayroon silang kanya-kanyang motibo. Tsaka, the fight doesn’t end with Gloria’s impeachment. This struggle is not a short-sighted struggle whose only objective is to impeach Gloria and her cohorts. The underlying objective which drives this struggle is to revise this rotten system that has produced the likes of Gloria and the rest. If not, then impeaching Gloria would have been for nothing because another Gloria will inevitably surface and it would only be a vicious political cycle, within which the Filipino masses will undoubtedly be greatest victims.

“The police said the black shirt with the slogan “Patalsikin na —Now na” is self explanatory as they were obviously anti-GMA.”

This is another excuse for the police to make the arrest. They are only law enforcers. They do not have the right to interpret or make their own opinions or judgments about the law.

Teka muna….

Not trying to be a lawyer here but got this issue to iron out here…

Ano ba ang purpose ng prior permit for a rally? Is it to put up prior restraint to protesting groups so that those in power can have a means to prevent further escalation of conflict?

Or is it in order to protect the protesting public from possible harm caused by conflict that might arise if mass actions are not properly policed?

If it is the former, then what is the use of the use of “Sec.4 Art. II of the constitution? Doesn’t the provision mandates the protection of an individual for free speech, grievance and redress?

So what can be the violation of those arrested if they are only excercising their God-given and Constitutionally mandated rights???

If it is the latter, what permit is necessary for a group of people gathering in a place to sip coffee while making a political statement???

Hindi po ako abogado kaya pasensya na po at hanggang dito lang ang paliwanag ko…

luzviminda said,
March 19, 2006 @ 8:07 am

“Mas maganda kung ang ilalagay sa T-shirt eh…’IBAGSAK at IKULONG ang MANDARAYA, SINUNGALING AT MAGNANAKAW! …Siguro naman di na huhulihin ng mga pulis ang mga may suot nun kahit na marami sila dahil maganda ang adhikain…meaning these people are against these CRIMES! …At hindi naman sasabihin ng mga pulis at Raul Gonzales na si GMA at tinutukoy!…Hehehe! Bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan huwag magagalit”.

magandang suhestiyong yan luzviminda. palagay ko naman baka payagan na dahil lahat naman tayo pati mga pulis na yan ay kontra sa mga MANDARAYA, SINUNGALING at MAGNANAKAW. unless na sila yung tinatamaan kaya ayaw nilang makita yan.

ang ginamit na dahilan ng mga pulis sa paghuli kina soliman ay BP 880 link: http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/bataspam/bp1985/bp_880_1985.html; http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=445

this was disputed already by CHR as illegal and has no constitutional basis. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=33208.

pagkakaalala ko noon sa mga kontra rallyist, sabi nila nakakakaistorbo mga eto sa daan. anarkiya daw. economic sabotage pa. etong ginagawa bang “flash mob” ng BWM ay nakakaistorbo sa daan? were anyone inconvenienced by their acts (si glue-ria lang ata)? anarkiya na ba eto? bawal na bang mag-assemble? kung mamamasyal pala kaming 5 na magkafratmates diyan sa baywalk suot-suot ang aming mga frat t-shirts (incidentally black also w/ a brotherhood logo) kami pala ay huhulihin na rin dahil kailangan pa naming kumuha ng permit. and let’s say kung maglalagay ako sa isang blogsite ng anunsiyong “punta tayo sa luneta (a public place) magkita-kita tayo doon”, eto ay bawal na rin. ganon ba yun? dapat pala solo flight na ang mga lakad ng mga tao ngayon para hindi mapagbintang nag-iilegal assembly tayo.

here’s what dan mariano has to say about dinky’s “flash mob”. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=33164

“ …Steven Rood described a flash mob as “safe, NONCONFRONTATIONAL and within the bounds of the law, even under a repressive one like [Presidential Proclamation] 1017. The mere ‘flash’ gathering of the people is the expression of protest.”…”

funny, some bloggers here previously are dismissing the move of BWM as “crazy, fad, kid’s stuff, gimik, ineffective idea, cheap stunts, etc.” but suddenly commenting after dinky’s arrest that their act was illegal since they don’t have a permit and so what the police did is justified. to the rescue again? hehehe.

and for those who are saying that rallies, demonstrations or protests are primitive moves happening only in the phils, check out the violent demonstrations happening now in France. is it really a loosing cause? http://www.libcom.org/blog/

kadugo,

i heard dinky and her group are exactly doing just that. file a complaint to CHR. but we know based on previous HR complaints what the usual attitude of this de facto govt to such complaints are. while the CHR and even UNCHR seem so powerless about these violations.

=============

coldfeet said,
March 18, 2006 @ 9:41 pm

Guys…. police did a lousy job explaining on what they are doing.. hindi yata marunong sumagot. For Dinky naman., obvious na ginagawa nu.. hindi pa pinanindigan.. mas kakahiya…

at sa gusto pang sumama.. pag kasama ninyo si Dinky at kau madadakip.. hindi kau aakuin na kasama… sinungaling eh.. nakipag group sex lang siya.. hehehe.. laswang matanda…

>>>i think etong comment na ito ang malaswa. subrang below the belt. hindi ba dapat i-ban ang ganito mr. alecks?

dimasalang,
iba naman example mo sa BWM…may announcement sila sa website nila eh. hindi coincidental lang na nagka-umpok umpok ang mga nakaitim sa baywalk…aminin na natin yon.

tingin ko nga tong gimik na to, dahil na din sa kabalastugan ng mga pulis, was even good for them because of the arrest…controversial na…kumikita na kumbaga. i even had the first comment in this thread and what I said is…good for BWM. pinansin na din sila…kahit 20-30 people lang daw andun.

Mita,

im not a lawyer…however i’ve talked to several lawyers because they were quite alarmed when Dinky was arrested by the police.

According to them, the protest that was made by the BWM is not the same kind of protest that was under the no permit, no rally policy. Meaning, it is something beyond the jurisdiction of this policy. Therefore, they cannot be held liable under this law. The policy is only there to regulate active protests.

Yes, there was a call made by the BWM, but it was clear that they never broke any laws.

haha dami na ng lawyers natin dito sa phils in the first place.. dami ring lawyers serving in government.. where did dat get us?? puro technicalities lng po… legal jargon etc.. all talk no action… kakapagod just watching em blab bout the law on tv.. think we need other professionsal like doctors, scientists agriculturists humanists in government as well as in society…. tama na yung mga lawyers…

Ang pikon talo,ang magreact guilty!