EDSA and the Enduring Flames of Resistance

When I was in Grade 5, our teacher asked us to write about the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986, which led to the ouster of a dictator, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Honestly, at that tender age, I had no understanding of how many people were killed, the desaparecidos, the victims of torture, and other human rights abuses. All I understood was that, as a Mama’s boy, I was taught that the Marcos regime was evil and corrupt. My father also helped me write the essay.

It was later on that I understood the accounts of how the Marcos regime authored a grand-scale plunder of our national coffers, the piling indebtedness, cronyism, and human rights violations. If I were to rewrite that essay now, I would add that the peaceful revolution is a significant moment in our nation’s history where people, in solidarity, asserted their rights and resisted a narcissistic and corrupt regime that had no respect for democracy and the rule of law.

In 2016, when the remains of Marcos Sr. were decided by former President Rodrigo Duterte to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, I decided to join, for the first time, a street protest. I went in front of Plaza Heneral in General Santos City and raised my sign, “Marcos, Hukayin.” With the media giving us the limelight at that time, I was put under the lens of trolls and received death threats. Many, even my family, told me that I was “bugok,” “walang alam,” and “NPA.”

The decision of the people during EDSA to take part in a non-violent street protest is the same as what we did when Marcos Sr.’s remains were buried. It was a peaceful act of dissent. However, people still demonized us for condemning an action of the government, which we need not be reminded, is a constitutionally protected right. Thirty-nine years ago, a peaceful protest in response to the call of Jaime Cardinal Sin on Radio Veritas was also met with the government’s guns and tanks.

In my mind, do we Filipinos condone the violence and abuses perpetrated by our government? Up to this day, are we still denying the fact that there was, indeed, a Jabidah Massacre in 1968, a Tacub Massacre in 1971, and a Palimbang Massacre in 1974? Even with documents like Resolution No. 62 of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority on February 19, 2020, I still read narratives from people trying to paint the massacres as conspiracy theories. This reduces the Moro narratives to a footnote, even as they rose against the atrocities of the Marcos regime.

Every 25th of February, I have decided to change my profile picture on Facebook to one with the words, “Never Again to Martial Law.” It is not surprising that some friends dismiss my stance against Marcos Sr.’s regime, which then becomes a debate over whether I have benefited from Marcos Sr.'s programs and projects. Such an argument is entirely misplaced. After all, it is the government’s duty to do what’s right; power is never a license to perpetrate wrongs. Thus, when there are abuses, it becomes our moral duty and obligation to stand against tyranny.

In this 39th year of commemoration of the EDSA People Power Revolution, we need to be reminded that this historical event is bigger than all of us. It is beyond color, political lines, and personalities. It is the people’s victory in dismantling an abusive regime and the restoration of democracy, giving flesh to the words “We, the sovereign Filipino people”.

The decision of Malacañang to declare the EDSA People Power Revolution as a special working holiday, departing from its traditional designation as a non-working holiday, has sparked indignation, raising criticisms that the Marcos Jr. administration is sidelining, if not slowly erasing, the significance of this historical event where the Filipino people emerged victorious in standing against dictatorship.

Unwittingly, the move backfired as numerous universities and schools across the country declared class suspensions and alternative learning modalities to commemorate EDSA. What was once, to the eyes of many, just an ordinary holiday sparked renewed conversations and consciousness, especially among the younger generation, in remembering this important event.

On a final note, we can only hope that the enduring spirit of the People Power Revolution reminds us to choose our nation first, not our loyalty to politicians, amid this present political turmoil. There is a revolution that needs to be fought and won today, not in the streets, but in our consciousness.

Power to the People!