1841 in 2009, declaring the EDSA People Power Anniversary as a Special Holiday (for all schools)., In 2015, former President Benigno Noynoy Aquino III (son of Cory Aquino and Ninoy Aquino) signed another proclamation declaring the anniversary as a Special Holiday (for all schools) too. I had mixed feelings that brought tears to my eyes. Marcos avoided violence not out of conscience or goodwill, but due to pressures. The strongman had just been proclaimed winner of the February 7 snap elections against popular opposition candidate Corazon Aquino, widow of Benigno Ninoy Aquino Jr., who was gunned down on August 21, 1983, upon returning from a three-year US exile. The Dilemma of General Tadiars forces at EDSA (24 February, 2021) Retrieved from https://hrvvmemcom.gov.ph. This part of Philippine history gives . It was, in my personal opinion, a blunder on the part of the late President. How can one forget the songs Magkaisa and Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo? Source: /hrvvmemcom.gov.ph. Other than the events happening outside the Malacanang Palace, inside was turmoil. Two days later (February 22), after the declaration of Marcos as the winner, Cory Aquino led a protest rally estimated to have gathered millions of Filipinos in attendance along EDSA. Tadiar pleaded to let them pass but the people remained undaunted. Dennis Montealto, Mandaluyong City: We only heard on radio about the unfolding events. Honasan was named part of the Senate slate of Marcos Jr., who framed his choices as in line with his UniTeams consistent vision of national unity for progress. As the Ministry of National Defense (MND) information service chief, he was the only civilian in that hurriedly organized meeting on February 22, 1986, when then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Gen. Fidel Ramos, then chief of the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police (PC-INP), declared they were withdrawing support from then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. No suspect was charged in court. 11586. These are people who had lots of aspirations., [But] people now are very disempowered economically, he said. The EDSA 'People Power' of 1986 stands out in iconography and ideography of democratisation, both within and beyond the Philippines. Afable confided that, at first, it was really only a matter of their survival after Malacaang uncovered a coup plot which, Afable said, was initially hatched by a group of disgruntled military officers led by then Col. Gregorio Gringo Honasan, who called themselves the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM). Sotelo and his men were aboard Sikorsky and UH1-H Huey helicopter gunships circling above Camp Crame when they defected by landing their choppers in Camp Crame. Keep reading with one of these options: Premium Subscription P 80 per month (billed annually at P 960) Unlimited ad-free access to website articles This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Rather than a sympathetic man who became the victim of a mob, the real Marcos was a defeated tyrant whose darker plans were foiled. Exiled Ferdinand Marcos with Imelda in Hawaii. To me, this is the relevance of the 1986 People Power Revolution today, 31 years later. With the vehicles and weapons ready, the revolt should have ended in a horrific way. Go back to martial law, go back to controlling the economy, go back to arrests without warrants? He was so weak and pathetic that I asked myself, is this the man who wielded such an enormous and powerful command on the people but is now so helpless and forlorn? Even Bongbong Marcos, according to Azcuna, has benefited from the democratic institutions, now that he is guaranteed regular and free election, although everything is really up to the people.. On January 22, 1987, the farmers march calling for comprehensive land reforms ended in violence when anti-riot personnel, including lawmen in plain clothes, opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing at least 12 and injuring 51 protesters near Mendiola Bridge leading to Malacaang Palace. There was a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. My feeling was like we were only doing our morning walking exercise every day. EDSA People Power Revolution The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power's Revolution. "It showcased to the world the remarkable resolve of the Filipino people" and "heralded an era of peace," according . On the evening of February 25, Marcos, his family, and close allies fled to Hawaii. inside Camp Crame grounds when triumph of people power was patently achieved. That the participants of the bloodless revolution were mobs and savages as the pious Marcos tolerated them. The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power's Revolution. There were a lot of groups within the Marcos camp that was already struggling or competing for influence and power, he said. Ed Gulmatico, Abu Dhabi: It was seeing and witnessing hordes of Filipinos from almost all classes, regardless of status in life and religious beliefs, united in prayer and standing with the objective of removing a despotic leader and dictator. For several years, there were struggles against the dictatorship and there were struggles for economic change, but Edsa would not have happened unless several sectors organized themselves, and they had been struggling for sectoral changes, she said. This was due to military rebels, supporters of the EDSA rally, disabling the transmitter of the Marcos-controlled channels 2, 9, and 13. There are truths that could change the world if being told by the side of the losing team. Required fields are marked *. The STAR does not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for the views of readers exercising their right to free expression. Meanwhile, Parong volunteered in the new government community health program, with then DSWD Secretary Mita Pardo de Tavera. After three decades, the Antipolo Regional Trial Court found three RAM members guilty of two counts of murder and meted with the penalty of up to 40 years imprisonment. And his influence helped rally the people to EDSA to stage a revolt and to protect the detractors from the Marcos regime. According to its proponents, no one will care about mainstream history we have today, if there are untold truths being suppressed by the victors. 1236, declaring February 25, 2022, as a Special (Non-Working) Day to commemorate the 36th anniversary of People Power Revolution, which restored democracy and ushered political, social, and economic reforms in the country. Copyright 2023. Finally, Edsa became a symbol of a peaceful and non-bloody revolution. History is written by the historians, not the victors, through careful studies, research, record keepings, explorations and investigations. Claim: The 1986 EDSA People Power was bloodless because of Marcos (21 July, 2022) Retrieved from https://factsfirstph-partners.rappler.com. Marcos gave an order to Brigadier General Artemio Tadiar to deploy armored vehicles from Fort Bonifacio, to Camp Aguinaldo, while artilleries were positioned to aim at Camp Crame. And President Reagan threatened Marcos with halting such military aids if violence broke, since what was meant to fight communism will end up supporting a civil war. I sometimes wonder, were we better off before the Edsa revolt? They will not sleep. He had plans to shed blood, but was thwarted by the officers in the field, the influence of the Catholic Church and the U.S. Government. At 11:00 am, he was called back to Fort Bonifacio and he was relieved of his command. Observe. Cardinal Jaime Sin, the then Archbishop of Manila, called upon Filipinos to support the . As Enrile and Ramos were meeting the press across Edsa in Camp Aguinaldo, our four teams from the Special Operations Group of the PC Special Action Force safeguarded Camp Crame - one team for each of the four gates into the camp. Still, he stressed, people should not forget the principle of accountability, enshrined in the 1987 Constitution which he helped write as a member of the constitutional commission. Seeing the goal of the uprising triumphantly achieved is an incomparable feeling. Jim Veneracion, Naga City: The beauty of Edsa 1 was that it was bloodless and . Next, I saw the former President Marcos alighting from the plane. We were told that unless we did that, there would be a bloody civil war. If that is what they want, then so be it. The millions of Filipino people who went to EDSA 1 believed that the hand of God prevented a bloodshed of unimaginable proportion had a gunshot was fired by either side. GROWTH in remittances from Filipinos abroad slowed to 2.4 percent in February, the slowest in seven months, according to the latest data released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). There was a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. This weekend marked the 34 th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution which was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from Feb. 22-25, 1986. That Charter affirmed that public service is a public trust and that public officials must at all times be accountable to the people., Azcuna underscored the need to be vigilant 36 years after Edsa, noting the possibility that we can lose it [democracy].. For once, I wanted to make a decision for my country, Sotelo said. 1. We have a saying: you plant the seeds, harvest and cook, but someone else eats].. You may also email your views to: [emailprotected]. MANILA, PhilippinesThe four-day uprising now known as the Edsa People Power Revolution on Feb. 22 to 25, 1986 led to the collapse of the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. This site uses cookies. He makes decisions on the parameter of pragmatic things, Afable said. While we learn about history in school, it is important to refresh our memory about the important events in our country. Image credits: Nonoy Lacza, Joey De Vera via Presidential Museum and Library, Your email address will not be published. Portraying the dictator and his family in a sympathetic light contributes to the Marcos disinformation propaganda machinery, humanizing and normalizing their bogus narratives to further rehabilitate the Marcos name. Then, on February 20, Marcos declared himself the winner despite allegations of fraud and violence. The insurgency continued because the changes that they were expecting never happened, Parong said. She was cheated. Ryan Pahimulin, Rizal: The number of people who trooped to Edsa was just unbelievable. Another act of heroism at EDSA 86 was shown by another Marine officer, then Col. Braulio Balbas, who was the commander of an artillery battery, who established his unit at the golf course of Camp Aguinaldo, just across Camp Crame. By the late 1960s, corruption prevented the im-plementation of sound policies, civil unrest grew, and economic growth began to slow, allowing several neighboring countries to surpass the . Walang gutom sa mga araw na yun. The leaders (Enrile, Ramos, Lopez, Ayala-Zobel, and a slew of nameless others in the background) of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, are the same ones who enrich themselves after the smoke and dust have settled. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zHGBrCllD8. But his actions of delaying the order to fire saved a lot of lives that day. Afable recalled phoning his family, telling them he might die at any moment, if the government troops loyal to the President moved in to quell the military uprising. The 77 highly volatile hours that followed have been immortalized as the EDSA People Power Revolt that overthrew a dictator and re . Source: hrvvmemcom.gov.ph. The "People's Power" was never meant for the Failipino people, it was intended for the oligarchs who are running/ruining . Gen. Artemio Tadiar; Army Brig. Even Bongbong Marcos was seen during their last days at Malacanang wearing an Army uniform as if anticipating a bloody battle. Col. Dencio Acop (Ret), Baguio City: I was a second lieutenant who was in the inner circle of then Philippine Constabulary Chief Lt. General Fidel V Ramos during Edsa 1986. This was after close ally President Ronald Reagan sent word through Senator Paul Laxalt that they will no longer back Marcos. But they were short-lived. Feb 25, 2013. The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution [Note 1] or the February Revolution, [4] [5] [6] [7] was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. As reinforcements arrived, our teams gradually withdrew into the inner perimeters, until we ended up in the PC HQS building where Enrile and Ramos were, in joint operation with the Ministry of Defense Security Group led by then Col. A coup had been planned to oust Marcos but this was pre-empted by a discovery of the plot, which turned into a Defend-the-Alamo type defensive operation at Camp Crame made successful by unprecedented people power, the Filipino nations gift to democratic advocates across the world. Other countries may erupt into violent. After their defection, Cardinal Sin once again called upon the people to shield them. I saw thousands of people surrounding Edsa. Parong participated in seeking reparations from the Marcoses, who merely offered a compromise settlement of $150 million, while they were exiled in Hawaii. Former President Ronald Reagan, who deliberately turned a blind eye to the atrocities of the Marcos regime due to his close friendship with him, had committed $900 million in military and economic aid over five years in exchange for using the largest military bases in the Philippines. Balbas later confessed that his conscience would not allow him to annihilate his comrades-in-arms and innocent civilians. President Ferdinand Marcos 20-year reign was marred with corruption, violence, electoral fraud and abuses, and the people had enough. Balbas mission was to fire the deadly 105mm cannons at Camp Crame where the rebel soldiers were camped. Mimaropa, Ilocos receive tourists from cruise ships, Hundreds of tourists from cruise ships flocked to Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Ilocos region several days before and until the end of the Holy Week break, the Department of Tourism reportedr, LTO drops periodic medical exam for drivers license. It was at this day that my anger and hatred against the former President Marcos increased, because I could no longer find my parked car at a side street of Edsa. But, when he returned to his home country, he was assassinated on August 21, 1983, which resulted in a stronger spark of revolution led by his wife. EDSA 1986 is one shining moment in Philippine history. Many of them lifted the rosaries and crucifixes they were carrying for the soldiers to see, then knelt on the middle of EDSA. MANILA It was a revolution like no other. Unsubscribe anytime. The most tension-filled moments during the entire four-day siege were at night, when we could see combat-ready Marines just across Santolan and Edsa, not knowing when they would finally start assault toward us. He said, Umalis na si Marcos. With those words, I woke up immediately and saw the people in jubilation. While Marcos was being sworn into office by then Chief Justice Ramon C. Aquino, a few minutes before noon of the same day, the televised coverage of the event was abruptly interrupted. February 25, 2020 | 12:00am Today, we should deeply reflect on the meaning and significance of EDSA to our historical struggles against all forms of oppression, exploitation, social injustice,. Each time a rocket hit its target, the ground shook. Amihan shear line to bring cloudy skies and rain to Luzon, Visayas, SWERTRES RESULTS February 25, 2022 (Friday). Edsa 1, I would say, was the beginning of my political awakening. Commonly known as EDSA, the 1986 People Power Revolution was the peoples response to the decades-long rule of Marcos Sr., including the 10 years of martial law that had brought a dark time to the country, especially the enemies of the Marcos regime. 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