Despite not being declared a holiday, supporters of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution are set to hold a series of events under the #BuhayAngEdsa message to commemorate the bloodless uprising against the Marcos dictatorship and remind Filipinos of the rebirth of Philippine democracy.
The EDSA People Power monument (JGerard Seguia/Pacific Press/Lightrocket via Getty Images)
While there are scheduled events across the country, the biggest commemoration will happen in Metro Manila.
The celebration will begin with an EDSA Freedom Ride in Ayala Avenue, Makati at 7:30 a.m. Meetup place will be at the Ninoy Aquino Monument in Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas, and participants are being asked to wear yellow, the color of the EDSA revolt.
This would be followed by an event entitled “The EDSA Story: A People’s Victory, A Nation’s Glory” that will feature special performances by various artists at the Club Filipino in San Juan City from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
The day will be capped off by “EDSAKahitSaan: Countdown Concert” at the People Power Monument in White Plains Avenue, Quezon City starting at 7 p.m.
Among the performers are Bayang Barrios, Bituin Escalante, Bodjie Pascua, Bullet Dumas, Elijah Canlas, Elmo and Arkin Magalona, Jaime Fabregas, Leah Navarro, Leo Martinez, Mitch Valdes, Nica del Rosario, Noel Cabangon, and The Company, among others.
Liberal Party (LP) President and Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Lagman asked Filipinos to continue to uphold the legacy of EDSA because this was not just a “brilliant spark of a spontaneous moment.”
Rather, it was a testament to the Filipino patriots who “steadfastly and courageously opposed and rejected the atrocity, repression, and profligacy of the Marcos Sr. martial law regime.”
“It is an enduring legacy which Filipinos must cherish, defend, and uphold against the malevolence of historical distortion and revisionism, and the importuning of those who would attempt the repetition of an inordinate aberration,” he said.
Former senator Leila de Lima, spokesman of the Liberal Party (LP), also released a statement on Saturday, Feb. 24, bemoaning the “distortion” of EDSA’s message and its history, and called on Filipinos to “reclaim” their voices and remember their “collective power” to demand change.
“Disinformation and historical revisionism don't just try to diminish EDSA; they attempt to rewrite it as the root of our present struggles,” she said.
“They twist narratives, painting the People Power Revolution as a naive misstep instead of the courageous act of self-determination it truly was,” the former senator, who was detained for almost seven years for trumped-up drug charges during the Duterte administration, added.
De Lima instead asked Filipinos to “honor the heroes of EDSA not just with words, but with action.”
“Therefore, we call for a reclamation . . . Let us demand transparency and accountability from our leaders, reminding them that they serve the people, not themselves. Let us dismantle the walls of disinformation, brick by brick, through education and open discourse.”
Fellow democracy advocates Dean Chel Diokno and former senator Bam Aquino also remembered EDSA and attended the mass on Friday, Feb. 23, at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace - EDSA Shrine.
With the theme “National Day of Prayer and Action for EDSA, Against Cha-cha,” the mass did not only commemorate the EDSA anniversary, but also spoke against current attempts to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
“Standing strong at EDSA Shrine this Feb 23 to honor #EDSA38. (Philippine flag) Together, let’s defend our freedom and say #NoToChaCha. Tara, ipakita natin ang diwa ng People Power! #BuhayAngEdsa #EDSAPower,” Diokno posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Other attendees of the event were Senator Risa Hontiveros, Tindig Pilipinas convenor and former presidential adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles, and Kiko Aquino-Dee, grandson of democracy icons former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and former president Corazon Aquino.
Transport group Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston) is also set to hold protest rallies, calling on the government to return their public utility vehicle (PUV) franchises instead of pushing for Cha-cha.
The League of Filipino Students (LFS) also held rallies in their respective campuses—the University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila University, the De La Salle University - Manila, and colleges and universities along the University Belt in Manila.
“Walang permit ang EDSA People Power noong 1986. Hindi natin kailangan ng permit para ipaglaban ang kalayaan at demokrasya sa Pilipinas (The EDSA People Power in 1986 doesn’t have a permit. We don’t need a permit to fight for the Philippines’ freedom and democracy),” the group wrote.
Marcos’ non-declaration of the 1986 EDSA People Power anniversary as a holiday was criticized heavily, with undercover cops reportedly deployed to anniversary rites.
His father, the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos, stayed in power for 20 years after declaring Martial Law. The dictatorship plunged the Philippines into debts, with tens of billions of dollars said to be taken from the national coffers.
The dictatorship also forced some 2,326 disappearances between 1972 and 1986, while 11,103 people were tortured and abused and 2,326 were recorded deaths.
The 1986 People Power Revolt, led by Aquino and the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, showed millions of Filipinos along the stretch of EDSA, facing tanks and the military with nothing but rosaries and the call for fellow Filipinos to join the uprising.