This account of Filipino student protesters using SMSes to organize giant flash-mob political demonstrations reads like adventure fiction for young radicals — these kids use their pocket-communicators to rally, retreat, change course, and swarm the cops when they try to bust one of their number.
Caught up in the melee, ducking from the swinging batons,
Palatino heard his phone ping loudly."GET OUT OF THERE. You are in a dangerous place," warned the
text, from a friend who could see that Palatino was about to
be pinned between the crowd and a wall.An officer grabbed Palatino.
"ID! ID! Now!" the red-faced officer demanded.
A small group of officers closed in around Palatino, whose
eyes were suddenly wide with terror.Students who saw it quickly typed a text alert to others,
using Palatino's nickname: "Mong is being arrested."
