EDITORIAL - People power revisited

The nation marks the 20th anniversary of people power today with certain groups again attempting to recreate the momentous events that led to the ouster of a dictator. As public response to events yesterday showed, however, the circumstances today are markedly different from those in 1986 or even in 2001, when another military-backed popular uprising toppled a president amid accusations of corruption.

The public response is not a rejection of the grievances of those who can’t stop reliving the glory days of people power. As survey after survey has shown, many Filipinos believe that those grievances against this administration are valid. But the results of two people power uprisings have led to the realization that it takes more than a revolution to liberate this nation from its woes. There is no quick fix to the nation’s ills. Every successful popular revolt to effect regime change merely invites more of the same, which is a recipe for indefinite political instability.

It would be tragic for the nation, however, to forget the greatest legacy of the 1986 people power revolt, which is the restoration of democracy. This may sound easy in 2006, but 20 years ago that task seemed impossible. It is not an exaggeration to call the results of that revolt a miracle, and the world took notice. People power, proudly staged in the Philippines, inspired similar movements for freedom in different parts of the globe. And those who fought hard to liberate the Philippines from an oppressive regime made sure it would be next to impossible for anyone to return the country to those dark days of authoritarian rule.

Today, 20 years later, foreign observers are pointing out that people power has not been enough to bring progress to this country. Those who suffered during the martial law regime may find the comments unfair, but such observations cannot be dismissed outright. People power, as many quarters have pointed out, is an unfinished revolution. The nation needs hard work, discipline, institution building, the rule of law. It will take something other than repeated attempts to recreate the 1986 EDSA revolt to fulfill the promise of people power.