Irony of Edsa commemoration

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, an occasion to remember those four days in February 1986 when millions of Filipinos thronged the length of Epifanio de los Santos Ave., coupled with similar gatherings around the country, that succeeded in ending the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dictatorship and driving the Marcos family from Malacañang.

The irony of this year’s observance is not lost on even the casual student of Philippine history. For today’s occasion is commemorated for the first time under the presidency of the Marcos son

President Marcos Jr. was no passive observer in the days leading to their family’s departure for Hawaii. Indelible indeed is the image of him clad in fatigues on the balcony of the presidential palace as the family and their supporters gathered to celebrate his father’s presumptive election to a new presidential term. Just a day later, they boarded a US Air Force plane bound for Guam, and thence to Hawaii.

So it’s understandable if the Marcoses face today’s observance with a mixture of pain and exultation. Pain because of the memories that must be dredged up every time Edsa is mentioned; exultation because 37 years after their ignominious exit from the country, they’re back. And how.

Mr. Marcos did not just win last year’s elections; he did so by an overwhelming margin. But while his mandate seems for now secure, he—and the Filipino people—face a set of challenges that grows ever more daunting.Still fresh and indeed ongoing is the handwringing that greeted the sudden disappearance of food items like onions and garlic, followed by a stratospheric rise in their prices. In contrast is the glut of tomatoes that forced farmers to dispose of tons of them in empty fields. This was followed soon enough by reports of rampant smuggling of the disappearing agriculture goods, followed close on its heels by the authorization of sugar imports, which sugar planters are currently protesting, saying the so-called shortage is an illusion.

Together with the bad news for ordinary consumers are pending moves on the political front, starting with the House resolution calling for a constitutional convention to amend the 1987 Charter, which columnist Randy David called in 2021 (see “Edsa: 35 years later,” 2/21/21) as “our last defense against the routinization of authoritarian rule.”For indeed the post-Edsa Constitution was written precisely to protect our freedoms and make it more difficult for despotic rulers to ride roughshod over the basic tenets of our democratic system. Not that presidents who came after Cory Aquino, notably Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who till today wields tremendous power and influence over the legislature, and Rodrigo Duterte, who faces a probe by the International Criminal Court over his deadly “war on drugs,” haven’t tried in their own ways to undermine. One could say the present Charter is the culmination of the events that led to Edsa—beginning with the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, the massive and frequent protests that followed, and the four-day uprising that drew the attention, praise, and emulation of the international community.What a shining beginning Edsa was! Of a people rising to say no more to oppression, and rising peacefully to reclaim democracy and rebuild a wounded nation. But as we learned every year after 1986, the promise of the peaceful revolution is a work in progress. In those three decades, upheavals and challenges showed us that preserving democracy and hard-earned freedom is never finished. As poverty, corruption, and economic hardships continue to define our national life, the euphoria of those four glorious days has slowly dimmed for some, even allowing revisionists to question and belittle that pivotal event in Philippine history.

And yet, even Mr. Marcos is hard put to get in the way of the rightful commemoration of the peaceful revolution. Though he chose to be in his hometown of Ilocos Norte, Mr. Marcos moved today’s holiday a day earlier under his “holiday economics” policy “provided that the historical significance of Edsa People Power Revolution Anniversary is maintained.’’

History has also taught us painful lessons when we forget the essence of Edsa. For instance, how did we endure an administration that racked up a staggering death toll of more than 6,000 people killed by the police in a brutal drug war? Or whose officials allowed billions of pesos in pandemic funds to be lost to corruption and incompetence?Perhaps all is not lost. A Social Weather Stations survey conducted last December found that 62 percent of Filipinos believe that the spirit of Edsa is alive, with majority saying it is still important to commemorate the revolution. It is up to all of us, citizens and government alike, how to let that Edsa spirit to live on.