Reliving EDSA

In a challenging manner, I gave young column writers a very tough and risky topic for this year’s Regional Schools Press Conference. It was about the changing of today’s supposed holiday into a special working day. I knew it was bound to create various opinions. The one that internalized their history lessons would be able to answer in an intellectual fashion. There was one that stood out though claiming that the writer “did not care” and “had no knowledge at all” on the issue.

I would say that this is a cause for alarm. With the students slowly forgetting the reason for the freedom that they are enjoying now, we are bound to have a distorted understanding of our history. We were taught history to make us analyze our roots and culture. I would like to say that the manner of teaching this part of history might be rigorous; however, there is no basis for that. The memories of what transpired during the EDSA People Power are not something we should be too quick to forget. We keep in mind the countless lives sacrificed for us to be free of the dictatorship’s bondage, along with those voices that marched on to the streets for our democracy. It may be a lost cause for some, but we are subtly reaping the fruits of their hard work. They will not be and never will be in vain.

The significance of EDSA must be instilled in the hearts of the youth. It is not merely a chapter in a history book but a legacy of courage, unity, and resilience. The peaceful revolution showed the world that Filipinos could stand together against oppression without resorting to violence. It was an assertion of democracy, a declaration that the voice of the people is stronger than any authoritarian rule. If we fail to remember, we risk repeating the past. The youth must realize that the freedom they enjoy today was hard-earned, built on the sacrifices of those who fought for justice. Remembering EDSA is not about dwelling on the past but about using its lessons to safeguard the future. The struggle for truth, justice, and democracy continues, and it is in the hands of the next generation to uphold these ideals.

History is only forgotten when we allow it to be. By keeping the spirit of EDSA alive in conversations, classrooms, and cultural expressions --including films--we ensure that its lessons remain relevant. Just as films and books has the power to tell compelling stories, history, too, must be told and retold so that its meaning is never lost. Let us continue to honor the memory of EDSA, not just in observance, but in action, ensuring that democracy and freedom remain unwavering for generations to come.

Returning it back to a holiday is just a nip in the bud on the bigger issue. We need more materials that would help us remember. These materials should be immortalized in stories to tell the next generations.