Naked power

PAYDAY Fridays are tough acts to have especially with the gridlock that has characterized Metro Manila traffic. But it became messy when the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) started its own version of occupy bottlenecks. First was Padre Faura, Manila, a known checkpoint because you have there the Supreme Court, Department of Justice, University of the Philippines-Manila and the UP-PGH, among others.

After two days of OccupyPadreFaura, the INC decided to transfer to a major road artery, EDSA. Timing was probably good for the organizers because they really stalled traffic but more importantly, it caught off guard the Aquino administration, local governments and the police. From the Ortigas Central Business District at 8:30 pm, a private security group insisted that all vehicles could not pass to Guadix Road and would have to go straight to ADB Avenue and right to Shaw Boulevard. A 15-minute drive took us two hours and another 45 minutes to reach Greenhills in a round about manner.