Newfound enthusiasm for Edsa people power

We have two people to thank for the country’s newfound enthusiasm for Edsa people power, which has been all but forgotten, especially during the Duterte administration.

The first one is Vice President Leni Robredo. Her candidacy for the presidency when the country is at a very low ebb, contending with crises of an economic, education, health, and moral nature, brings forcefully to mind the image of another widow running for president at a similar crisis-ridden time 36 years ago.

The similarities between the two are many. Both are widows.

Both are possessed of large reserves of moral courage and integrity.

Both are not only principled but with the strength to live up to them. Cory insisted on holding a “Tagumpay ng Bayan” rally at the Luneta, which her advisers thought was too large a venue, and would look empty even if there were 50,000 people. Cory stood her ground and said that if they had very little support, they should know it as soon as possible. Two million people were at the Luneta, people who had no idea what the size of the crowd would be. They only knew that Cory had won, and they had to show their support against the dictator.

Leni was asked by her husband to run for mayor when his term limit came up. She refused—no dynasty for her. And when she was asked to run for the House of Representatives, she knew she was running against a well-entrenched dynasty, but after much prayer and deliberation, she took up the cause. And defeated the dynasty—which was considered an impossibility.

Both were married to politicians, whose deaths were the trigger for them to enter, both reluctantly, into politics.

Both are charismatic.

Both are facing a Marcos in the elections.

There are differences, too. Cory, although well-schooled, never had to work a day. Once married, she spent her time taking care of husband and children. That was the culture, at that time. Until fate intervened.

Leni comes from a different generation: She has an undergraduate degree in economics from UP, went to work, captivated her boss, got married, but obtained a law degree while raising a family and supporting her husband’s political career. She then used her law degree with an NGO, working with and for the poor. She was a working mother, a supportive wife.

Another difference: Cory belonged to the elite—the Cojuangcos, whose family wealth was rumored to have been enhanced by a Cojuangco who had been asked by Gen. Antonio Luna to watch the money he had collected to fund the army. He was assassinated, and nobody knew where to give it. So they kept it.

Leni was middle class. Her father was a lawyer turned judge, her mother was a school teacher, which meant poverty was not a stranger to her.

Now, who is the second person we have to thank for our renewed enthusiasm and interest for Edsa people power? No other than Bongbong Marcos and his army of paid sympathizers.

Understand, the young Marcos and his sympathizers had a great deal to do with belittling Edsa as well as its success.

He was almost successful in making us try to distance ourselves from the color yellow. “Dilawan” became almost a dirty word. We almost forgot that yellow was for the yellow ribbons we tied to our gates and to our trees to welcome Sen. Ninoy Aquino, who never got to step on Filipino soil. He was dead before he hit the tarmac. And it was Marcos’ father who was ultimately responsible for that.

Yellow was the color we adopted to show our displeasure with the Marcos regime. And over the recent past, because of how yellow was distorted, we almost forgot what it stood for.

Then, he tried changing the whole martial law story, from one of human rights abuses, cronyism, corruption, nepotism, and the destruction of the economy, to one that was the “golden years” of Philippine history. This fake narrative has almost caught on, except the Filipino people are now on to it and are working together to bring out the truth.

If he had not brought out this golden years nonsense, we would not have brought his father into the picture. But his lying, cheating, and I-am-above-the-law attitude smack so much of his father, that it is impossible to separate them both.

Edsa people power took place because Marcos Sr. wanted to stay in power after 20 years, and did not hesitate to lie, cheat, and, yes, kill to get his wish. We, the people, put a stop to that. A golden moment in our lives—one that won the respect, admiration, and desire of the world to follow in our footsteps.

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