Now I know what EDSA 1 was like

I wasn’t born yet during Martial Law. I learned about that era only from my history textbook. My high school teacher also discussed it in our class. I’ve watched a movie about life during the ‘70s and mid-‘80s. I felt lucky that I didn’t experience that “dark age” because there was no freedom then. I was told that people were afraid to air their grievances because of the “metal arm” that could easily shut them up.

Then something historic happened on Feb. 25, 1986. The People Power Revolution led to the restoration of democracy. It was a new year for the Philippines. It was “independence day” for the Filipinos.

The stories in my high school history book were not clear to me. It was the Department of Tourism (DOT) that helped me understand the events of that period when it organized the Freedom Tour of the most noteworthy places during the 1986 EDSA Revolution. I journeyed through the history of EDSA People Power I with the students of San Valley National High School. Its objective was to instill in the minds of people, especially the youth, love of country and to encourage them to help preserve our culture. EDSA People Power I was a story of unity and solidarity. The Filipinos then fought for the truth and made a stand because they knew that the snap election was rigged by those in power.

The tour was a pilgrimage through the most significant places and events during those memorable days in 1986. The tour made four stops. It started at La Salle-Greenhills which is where the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) is located. It is amazing that the original board used during the counting of votes in that snap election has been preserved. The EDSA Shrine is another historic site. It was built to honor and acknowledge the contribution of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin during one of the world’s most peaceful revolt. It was the place where nuns, priests, soldiers and civilians gathered and prayed for peace in our country.

Rallyists around the People Power monument at EDSA last Feb. 24, eve of the People Power 1 25th anniversary.

There was a small rally in the vicinity of the People Power Monument when we arrived. It’s somewhat disappointing that, after 25 years, there are still people demanding for exactly the same things that our countrymen had fought for.

We stopped at Club Filipino where Pres. Cory Aquino took her oath as the 11th and the first woman to hold the highest office in the country.

The tour made my day. It was a great review of the past, far more clear than what I read in books when I was in the elementary grades and high school. I am very happy that the DOT has come up with that project. It made me so proud to be a Filipino; I realized that we could achieve so many things if we are united.

If there is anything that the youth today could contribute, it is to continue what the heroes, both known and unsung, had started at EDSA. We have to stand for what we believe is right. If other people are taking advantage of us, we have to act and fight for our rights. If we see people doing something wrong, we should be vigilant enough to call the attention of the authorities. That’s the least we can do in sustaining the “bayanihan spirit” that won the admiration of the world on that fateful day at EDSA in 1986.