Wednesday, July 02, 2008

BnW Black Friday Protests Rise Again














Today, our people are on the verge of desperation, ravaged by calamities, both natural and man-made.

Reeling from the devastation wreaked by typhoon “Frank”, we see not only the ineptitude of the bureaucracy, but also the insensitivity of our leaders, preferring to hobnob with Washington officials and watching the Pacquiao match live, rather than attending to the urgent needs of its citizens. Were it not for the valiant efforts of the private sector, NGOs and other groups, our distressed people would never see relief.

Worse, rather than addressing the core problems and gut issues of the day, our government resorts to gimmickry like dole outs and pretentiously championing populist causes – lower electric bills and free text messaging, to project a false sense of compassion for our people.

But we know better. Our people have lost its trust on our leaders. And now, we risk losing hope.

The Black and White Movement condemns both the callousness of our leaders, and the policy of deception in addressing our problems. To reawaken our people to these stark realities, we will resume our Black Friday Silent Protest actions on July 4, 2008.

We will gather every Friday at a pre-determined location at a specified time, all of us wearing black. There will be no placards or flags, no speeches, and no program. Our presence will be our message of protest. We will quietly disperse after 30 minutes.

This Friday, the designated time and place is the COMELEC Headquarters, Intramuros, Manila, at 5 PM. This is to dramatize where our problems all started – the cheating in the 2004 elections. With 3 commissioners still to be appointed by GMA, we may see the same transgressions being executed in 2010 due to a lack of qualified overseers.

We call on every Filipino to join us. Let us not lose hope. Together, we can yet make a difference for the brighter future of our children.

5 comments:

eagle wild said...

God bless you Helga! May you resuscitate the spirit of Gandhi among the people. Peaceful protest will surely get under the skin of even armadillos of note.

Deany Bocobo said...

The only thing worse than election cheating was the Edsa Dos Coup d'etat of Davide, Reyes, Sin, and Civil Society. The people's understanding of that dark side of "people power" is why they refuse to heed your calls for another. Until "Civil Society" admits it they will vote with their feet...away from here. It was Edsa Dos that destroyed the democracy restored by Edsa One.

Nacht said...

Well, it is clear that, if there ever was cheating, it was for the better. In case people forgot, the entire world is in deep crisis, not just us. It's a surprise that we still have food in our table. FPJ clearly couldn't have handled the situation as it is, seeing how a person who studied for it is already having a hard time. Now is clearly not the time to go against the government, regardless of how just either cause may be. The lives of the people are more important that justice, for if the people are gone, justice will be of no use.

Leah Navarro said...

With respect, there is no good reason for cheating, there are far more among us without food on their tables, we will never know how good or bad FPJ would've been as president. As for our opposition to GMA, Martin Luther King said it is always the right time to do the right thing.

Gloria destroyed what EDSA1 restored to us. She took the oath and should've delivered as promised, but she had no intention of doing the right thing.

lsgolovko said...

Protester trick cops into blocking off Walmart entrance during Black Friday rush http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNZD8lQUtdY