Let Edsa be Edsa for its historical meaning

A congressman wants to rename Edsa after Cory Aquino. His reason? “It would be but a fitting tribute to former President Corazon Aquino, woman of courage and valor, that Edsa, an avenue that (has become a) testament to the country’s love of democracy, be named after her,” said author Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos in the explanatory note of House Bill 5422.

Firstly, the late President Cory did not have a monopoly of love of country nor of courage and valor that would make the millions of Filipinos who gathered at Edsa on those fateful days of February 1986 any less courageous and resolute. If I remember correctly, Cory was not even at Edsa during the critical hours of the revolution, she was in hiding in a convent in Cebu. She only showed up at Club Filipino on the last day of the uprising (Feb. 25) to take her oath as president—when the battle was practically over.

Taken in the proper perspective, President Cory may be held in high esteem but she cannot be bigger than the vast number of people who gathered at Edsa to stage what has become universally known as People Power Revolution. The real heroes of Edsa were the multitude of plain citizens who came from all walks of life to gather at Edsa. They were the ones who bravely stood their ground unarmed, who defied and stopped the advancing tanks and heavily armed battalions of soldiers sent by the dictator to crush them.

President Cory has been honored in so many ways. Monuments have been built in her honor, streets and places have been named after her. Countless books have been written about her with much reverence that there is no way she will be forgotten by future generations.

But please leave Edsa alone. The name Edsa has a special meaning to many. Edsa lives in the hearts of those who took part in that historic People Power Revolution. Edsa has earned a significant historical meaning for the world. To change its name now is to erase a historic and very important name that has become a symbol of an oppressed people’s struggle against a dictatorship.

Tirad Pass was not renamed to honor its hero Gen. Gregorio del Pilar. Because Tirad Pass has a special historical meaning to remind us that it was a battle no less significant than the Battle of Thermopylae. Bohol was not renamed Dagohoy to honor the person who led the longest revolt against the Spanish government—from 1744 to 1829. Because Bohol and Dagohoy are intertwined. The names have distinct historical value such that their significance would be lost if one is remembered without the other.

Cory was catapulted to the presidency because of People Power. But Cory is not Edsa. People Power is. Edsa is not just a name, it has taken form as the spirit of People Power. The name Edsa is intertwined with People Power—the symbol of a people’s struggle against tyranny. Keep the name Edsa alive. Preserve that name in history.

—CESAR M. DE LOS REYES,

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