Remembering EDSA People Power Revolution
FROM Feb. 22 to 25, 1986, a whole nation united to rise and protest against the dictatorship that plagued the Philippines for almost two decades.
With unity, word of mouth and dedication to reviving democracy, Filipinos threw down an authoritarian regime and restored the people’s will.
However, questions still abound. How did democracy just “slip off” the Filipinos’ hands? Does this event still matter for the generations that follow?
The People Power Revolution did not “just happen” overnight. Filipinos did not expect their lives to drastically change with the signing of Martial Law by thenpresident Ferdinand E. Marcos on Sept. 21, 1972.
With the reign of the dictator, thousands of Filipinos were tortured, abused and silenced. What’s worse was that democracy was stolen from the Filipinos’ own hands while being stabbed in the back.
Fear was instilled in their hearts for what would happen, but it took the testimony and assassination of Marcos’ political rival, former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., famously known as “Ninoy,” to spark a revolution.
Even if it did cost Ninoy his life, his efforts were not forgotten. Filipinos decided that they had to speak up. They were tired of being silenced and deprived of freedom and democratic rights.
The opportunity came when Marcos called the snap elections. Ninoy’s widow, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, ran for democracy, and Marcos for maintaining his rule.
When Marcos was announced the winner of the controversial snap elections, it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak.
Some of Marcos’ most trusted cronies withdrew the support of their longtime esteemed leader. People gathered to protest and formed a barricade on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo in answer to the call made by Ninoy’s younger brother Butz and Catholic prelate Jaime Cardinal Sin amid towering tanks that surrounded them.
Eventually, the will and unity of the people proved victorious against the dictator, who had silenced democracy for nearly two decades. And so, the rest is history.
However, a vital question lingers: “Does the People Power Revolution still matter — 38 years later?”
Unfortunately, the generations that have not witnessed that fateful day tend to take that event for granted and believe in sugarcoated history.
This young generation should be informed of the sacrifices, abuses and struggles that Filipinos had to endure when democracy was stolen from their very own hands.
The EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 still matters today. What happened then is not just an AP or history lesson that could be taken for granted.
A lesson that Filipinos have learned and are continuously learning is that freedom and democracy should be treasured.
The famous quote, “History repeats itself,” can apply to the Philippines if Filipinos are not careful.
The generations reaping the benefits of the sacrifices of the Filipinos at EDSA at that time have a golden opportunity to keep democracy alive in their own way.
Millennials, Gen Zs and succeeding generations must never forget the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.