Why the Celebration of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines Still Matters Today

The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution, was a historic event that occurred in the Philippines in 1986. It was a peaceful mass protest that resulted in the end of the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of democracy in the country. The revolution was sparked by widespread discontent with the Marcos regime, which was marked by human rights abuses, corruption, and economic mismanagement. The peaceful nature of the revolution and the unity of the Filipino people in their call for change were key factors in its success.

The celebration of the People Power Revolution serves as a reminder of the importance of democracy and the sacrifices made to achieve it. It is a time to honor the memory of those who fought for freedom and to reflect on the lessons of the past. The revolution was a turning point in Philippine history, marking the end of a dark period of authoritarian rule and the beginning of a new era of freedom and democracy.

However, the fact that the son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is now the president of the Philippines may lead to differing opinions on the significance and value of the People Power Revolution today. Some may argue that the election of Marcos Jr. is a step backward and that the country is at risk of returning to the same type of authoritarian rule that existed under his father's regime. Others may see it as a sign of forgiveness and a move forward, as the country has not seen any major human rights violations under his rule.

It's important to note that the People Power Revolution was not only a political event, it was also a social and cultural one. It was a moment when the Filipino people came together to demand change and assert their rights as citizens. It was a time when the people stood up for what they believed in and refused to be silenced by fear. The revolution was a powerful expression of the Filipino spirit and resilience.

Furthermore, the People Power Revolution should be celebrated as a reminder of the importance of civil society in promoting democracy and good governance. The role of civil society in the revolution was crucial in uniting the people, raising awareness of the issues, and providing support to the opposition. Today, civil society organizations play a significant role in monitoring government actions and holding elected officials accountable.

Celebrating the People Power Revolution is still significant and has value today. It serves as a reminder of the importance of democracy and the sacrifices made to achieve it. The revolution was a turning point in Philippine history, and it should be celebrated as a reminder of the strength of the Filipino people and the power of peaceful protest. The fact that the son of the late President Ferdinand Marcos is now the president of the Philippines may lead to differing opinions on the significance and value of the People Power Revolution. Still, it should not detract from the importance of the event and the lessons it holds for the future of the country.

Pag-alala sa EDSA People Power, Ikatlong Dekada

Ika- 25 ng Pebrero, 1986, tatlong dekada na ang nakararaan nang magtipon-tipon ang maraming Pilipino sa Epifaño de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) upang patalsikin ang noo’y naghaharing diktador, pangulong Ferdinand Marcos na nakilala bilang EDSA People Power Revolution. Sa pangyayaring ito, nangibabaw ang kulay dilaw sa bawat lansangan ng kapuluang nagkakaisa upang wakasan ang diktadoryang naghasik ng karahasan, pangaabuso, at paglalapastangan lalo na sa mga taong lumalaban sa kanyang pamunuan.

Photo by www.inquirer.net

 Ang mga bagay na ito ang ating parating nariring sa bawat telebisyon at radio tuwing sasapit ang anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power. Sa detalyeng ito ang patuloy na tumatatak sa isip ng sambayanang Pilipino lalo na sa mga bagong henerasyon. May mga bagay na hindi nabibigyang pansin tulad ng “ano nga ba ang mga layunin ng pag-aalsa?” Marami ang magsasabi, “para patalsikin sa pwesto si Marcos”. Ngunit, ito nga lang ba ang tunay na hangarin ng rebolusyon o mas may malalim pa itong mga hangarin?

Sa mga nag-aaral ng kasaysayan, kasama sa mga hangarin ng rebolusyon ay mapaalis ang mga “TRAPO” (traditional politicians) sa pwesto, mapaunlad ang ekonomiya ng bansa, maghari muli ang demokrasya, at matigil ang kaguluhan sa bansa. Ang EDSA People Power ay hindi lamang nangyari para patalsikin ang diktador ng bansa, kundi upang baguhin mismo ang bansa.

Hindi natin maikakaila na tunay ngang nabalot ng kaguluhan ang bayan natin nang pamasailalim tayo sa Batas Militar nang siyam na taon sa pamumuno ni dating Pangulong Marcos. Naghatid ito ng takot sa bawat isa, at libo-libong tao ang nakulong, naparusahan at napatay nang walang kongkretong dahilan. Hindi ito maitatanggi, dahil ito ang tunay na nangyari.

Tatlong dekada na ang nakalilipas, balikan natin ang mga pangako ng rebolusyon, ilan nga ba rito ang naisakatuparan? Ikaw na ang bahalang sumagot.

Our Love of Democracy

We celebrate 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution every year to commemorate our recovery of democracy from the Martial Law imposed by the late President Marcos in the 21th day of September 1972. We often reminisce how our countrymen gather together in EDSA to protest and to remove dictator from the office. Every year local TV channels are airing a documentary programs that tells the success of the what we so-called peaceful revolution. Almost 41 years ago today, the spirit of democratic ideals and our love for democracy is still life a wild-fire that burning our heart. They say it was a successful political reformation and rehabilitation, but is it? Yes, the succeeding administration changes all officials but it doesn’t last long. Today, same old names can be seen our government and those who was rid during the Cory Administration successfully back into action.

The 1986 EDSA PPR is not really a successful paradigm shift, but the Martial Law is. When Marcos announced to the public the Proclamation No. 1081, the whole Philippine Archipelago was under Martial Law. Few weeks later, the new draft of the constitution that contains almost everything that the late president wanted including the right to legislate for the duration of the emergency, that emergency lasted long enough to become the New Society. The newly implemented constitution was amended to enable the president to continue issuing presidential decrees that intended to reform the Philippine Society. It was known as the “Bagong Lipunan” movement that aimed to modernize the Philippines.

The Catholic Church and the US Government is silent during that time. That was the church way of disclaiming any participation and association to its members that joins in growing number of protesters. The US government seems to be in favor to the Martial Law due to its silence.

It was during the Martial Law, series of major changes in our foreign policies was implemented. Greater liberalization of foreign investments was made and implemented that would let foreign investors to establish their business inside the country easily. After the expiration of Laurel-Langley agreement, the supreme court ordered the turn-over of American nationals own lands to the Filipinos as part of the reforming the Philippine society.

In short, Martial Law was born in a society that was thought to be resistant to authoritarianism. Martial Law made a great impact to us that strengthen our love of democracy. We may be a victim of the abuses that have been done during that what we called dark years of our country, but it serves as a bridge to have a true meaning of paradigm shift, that was not really happened after EDSA revolution, that was simply disregarded as we became paranoid to protect our democracy.

We always think that authoritarianism was bad and abusive but we forgetting the simple truth that democracy may not be felt by the majority of the people living in poverty line as it in favors to the well-off citizens and the few elites who ran the economy.

Martial Law is now part of history, as well as what we so-called Peaceful Revolution” the 1986 People Power.  Both have a great contribution to our history but were the People Power really succeeds to get its primary goals in resetting our Political System? 

Irrational in Politics

Media is one of the biggest factors why there are many irrational in our politics. In decades, media people always talked about Imelda Marcos, how she dressed, and how elegant she was during the time of the Marcos Era and the late president Cory Aquino especially when the 1st EDSA Revolution celebration is near. Documentaries about the Marcoses and the Aquinos often aired on televisions. We can see the influence of the two in our society there are what we called Imeldific and the color of Yellow that symbolizes unity, courage and democracy. These two people have what we called “Appeal or Charm” which we could not deny that they give great contribution and influence to the people.

Our politics, nowadays, is exhausted of charismatic leaders. We have presidents, senators down to the lowest government position that loved by the people. Erap Estrada for example, an actor, college drop-out was elected as the president of our country and should have won again in the 2010 presidential election if Cory Aquino did not died that resulted to the candidacy of her son Noynoy Aquino. We already known Erap, how he run the government and how he handles issues in our country. Despite of this, still 9,487,837 (according to 2010 election results) people wanted Erap be back in the office. It only means that Erap magic is not dead, magic in the sense that his charismatic appeal to the people is still strong.

As an educated person we don’t only consider the charismatic side of any political candidate. We often demand public debates and political platforms for every candidate in order to ensure that we can choose the right person that we will elect. But we should put in our mind that almost people living in poverty line is much bigger than us. They don’t care about the credentials and the political capability of the person to lead but they usually look into a good looking, charming and already known people they also tend to choose people based on a certain characteristics that respond to their own unrecognized desires. That is the reason why there are many politicians in the country came from the showbiz industry like Erap, and the Revilla clan. The candidates used this charm to win the seat of the office.

In politics, it is not enough to be bright or intelligent, it is also important to have the right faces, faces in terms of personal appeal to others. It is also the reason why the candidates often get celebrities to campaign them for the election, they using the charm or the appeal of the artist to gain popularity. We can’t take away irrational in politics, but we can get along with it and learn how to deal with it so we can still choose a good leader that will serve to their fellowmen seriously and wholehearted.