EDSA: Catalyst for democratization, and victory for a struggling people

So much vilification is being thrown at the fateful event at Edsa 35 years ago. It is being condemned as nothing short of a failure that ushered in a new breed of corruption and moral decay. On social media alone, the so-called Marcos legacy is glorified, whereas the Edsa revolution is blamed for the demise of the much-talked-about “golden years.” This is on top of the claim that there were more human rights violations during Cory Aquino’s time than in the regime of Ferdinand Marcos. Whether we believe it or not, Marcos fanaticism is alive and well. But what is really the truth about Edsa?

It is worth noting that the defection of top military figures Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos started it all. In the midst of the escalating national tension, the two claimed that it was Cory who won in the 1986 snap presidential election. Then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin was quick to call on the people to convene around Camp Aguinaldo and rally behind the military rebels. The rest is history.

It cannot be denied that, back then, we became a cynosure among nations, having ousted a long-standing dictatorship without having had to shed blood. The years of violence had culminated in a peaceful manner. The 1987 Constitution came into being, guaranteeing the civil liberties we enjoy today.

What would life be like had Edsa not occurred? How many more helpless people would have been detained, tortured, or killed? How much more money would have been stolen from the public coffers? How many more families would have suffered from abject poverty? How many more elections would have been rigged?

Edsa is the unlikely victory of a struggling people, a miraculous exit from the long, dark labyrinth and, most of all, a redemption of our robbed freedom. While the Cory administration may have had flaws and shortcomings, it carried out the tedious yet much-needed process of national democratization and rebuilt a badly damaged home. Some $3.5 billion had to be shelled out per year for the debts accumulated during the Marcos regime; a number of government-owned and -controlled corporations had to be sold and privatized in order to address the country’s economic and financial bankruptcy.

In today’s world where evil is good and lies are truths, it should be no surprise that the noble event that is the Edsa revolution has gained notoriety in many eyes. By 2022, we would most probably have elected someone who, yet again, wooed us into believing that “this nation can be great again.”

IAN CARLO L. ARAGON
iancarloaragon@gmail.com