In Honor of the Thai People

The Thai Embassy had already closed for the day, but we were undeterred. We decided to visit unannounced anyway, so we met up at a nearby KFC, pleased to find Little John, our three year mascot, already there with his folks. We brought yellow flowers and yellow balloons. Our friends in media were in the area as well, probably grateful that we didn't choose a time too early in the afternoon, it was so warm. And so we crossed the street and made towards the Embassy on Rada, noticing a small contingent of police that kept a respectful distance.

We walked over, everyone in jovial mood. We were happy to find a flower box right under the Royal Thai emblem, and so we offered our flowers and balloons, planting them among the greens. Then Enteng read our statement to the Thai people:

We, the Convenors and Members of the Black & White Movement, wish to commend the peaceful people of Thailand that are, to this day, courageously defending democracy and struggling non-violently for responsible government through serene protest. The Thai people have become an inspiration to us, for they have taken the Filipino contribution to the world, People Power, and have used it wisely, compelling their government to take careful heed.

The use of the imperial color yellow as the Thai color of protest reminds us of the way we used it as our inspiration in 1986 to unseat a dictator and bring an end to the stifling of our freedoms through martial rule, giving historic birth to People Power.

The Filipino people are in the midst of another great effort to cause positive change within ourselves and our government. Our movement hopes to achieve this through non-violence and the exercise of our basic freedoms. And so we take heart and courage from the freedom-loving spirit of the Thai people to continue our fight for just, honest governance and accountable leadership.

Khob khun khon Thai!
Mabuhay ang Kalayaan!

After the usual lining up to make our "patalsikin", or in this case, the "paTHAKSINin" sign, we were pleased to find out that there was indeed an Embassy official still at work, he had come outside to see what the lighthearted fuss was all about. Enteng took the opportunity to present a copy of our statement to him, it was addressed to Amb. Asha Dvitiyananda. Then we all began our peaceful dispersal, looking forward to a quiet weekend.

A Jolli Black Friday

Our latest Black Friday Protest was celebrated at three Jollibee locations - Makati Avenue, St. Francis Square, and Katipunan. Instead of the usual early evening time frame, we chose to meet early in the morning for a change. That made it possible for our friends to bring their families, as did some members of the media.



To the credit of Jollibee Corporation, the staff at all three places never put up a fuss, even if we didn't bother giving them a heads up on our plans. They didn't stop the media from doing interviews of either protesters or restaurant patrons.



The regular patrons did not seem bothered by our presence at any of the locations. Some of them came up to engage us in conversation, many were very sympathetic to our cause. Unlike some of the comments made on this blog and our sister blog, blackfridayprotest,no one said we were bothering them. Some offered some pretty good suggestions for future Black Friday Protests, and other ideas on how to rid ourselves of the Gloria scourge.



And so, with our hunger satisfied by Jollibee breakfast fare, we stood outside and took our pictures while flashing the "patalksikin" sign, leaving as peacefully as we arrived.