Cops fail to stop Black and White Movement’s MRT flash protest

The Black and White Movement on Saturday said the police tried to stop them from Friday night’s flash protest on board Metro Rail Transit (MRT) trains but did not have room maneuver in. The protesters were able to show their anti-Arroyo sentiments to MRT commuters from Ayala in Makati City to Ortigas in Mandaluyong City. "When we got to Ortigas (station), it was packed with cops, and we had to smile at the 'overkill.' There was no trouble, we didn't intend to make any, and so the cops kept their distance as we spoke to the media. They made no move to stop us from thumbing down the Arroyo regime," the movement said in its web log. Police also did not stop a Japanese NHK crew from covering the event inside the Ortigas station. The NHK crew had joined the ride. Besides, the group said it was rush hour inside the MRT station, so there were many commuters there at the time. The protesters said they spent the 10-minute ride from Ayala to Ortigas by speaking to the folks pressed against us. "The most gratifying part of this Black Friday protest was the presence of a young couple from the Ortigas area that joined us after reading about it on the internet. Peaceful protest does work, after all," it said.-GMANews.TV