The journey to EDSA

On the morning of Feb. 25, 1986, 40 years ago, Corazon Aquino took her oath as president of the Republic of the Philippines. Here is an excerpt of her speech at Club Filipino:

“Ninoy believed that only the united strength of the Filipino people would suffice to overturn a tyranny so evil and so well organized. The brutal murder of Ninoy created that unity and strength that has come to be known as Lakas ng Bayan – People Power. People Power shattered the dictatorship, protected those in the military that chose freedom and today, has established a government dedicated to the protection and meaningful fulfillment of our rights and liberties.”

In an EDSA anniversary celebration in 1999, President Corazon Aquino ended her speech with these words: “This country will always be free and it will always be the country of the People Power revolution.”

Perhaps one of the reasons that so many people have taken the four-day EDSA revolution for granted was because it seemed so easy. People have forgotten that the road to EDSA was actually several years in the making. In fact, there was a time when it almost seemed like it would not take place.

I remember that throughout the Marcos Sr. rule, there was an ongoing debate among the opponents of the martial law regime – whether this could be toppled through nonviolent means. The other debate was whether the opposition groups should participate or boycott elections that Marcos allowed to be held during his rule.

It was the voices of Ninoy and later Cory that finally convinced the majority of the Filipino people to participate in those elections despite the seemingly impossible odds. Those who participated in the elections had to suffer outright use of force, massive fraud and the blatant use of government funds and resources.

The journey to EDSA actually began in 1978 with the elections for the Interim Batasang Pambansa and the Metro Manila noise barrage of April 6, 1978, the eve of the elections.

The main opposition party at that time was Lakas ng Bayan or LABAN. Ninoy Aquino was then still in jail. According to Cory Aquino, Ninoy thought about his position and decided to participate because the campaign was the only forum made available to him to speak to the Filipino people.

The acronym of Lakas ng Bayan was LABAN that became a battlecry that still resonates today as a manifestation of the Filipino fighting spirit, even in the face of tremendous odds. This fighting slogan has become so common and yet most people have forgotten its origin.

On Aug. 21, 1983, Ninoy Aquino was assassinated upon his return to the Philippines. He had decided to return from exile in the United States. Someone – and I believe it was Eva Estrada Kalaw – had suggested that the people place yellow ribbons along the path that Ninoy would take from the airport to his house. This symbolic act was taken from the song, “Tie a Yellow Ribbon.” It is the story of a person who had been in prison for three years and was on the bus from release on his way home. He wrote to his family that if he was still welcome, “tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.”

The assassination set the stage for the next stage of People Power. Protest groups started mushrooming and regular rallies and public demonstrations began to be held all over the country. Ayala Avenue became the site of regular rallies, with yellow confetti raining down from office buildings.

The presidential election was scheduled in 1987. However, I remember that as early as 1985, there were already talks of the possibility of snap elections. There was also an emerging consensus that Cory Aquino was the only person who could unify the people and defeat Marcos.

She announced that she would consider running only if she were presented with a million signatures asking her to return. The “Million Signatures Campaign” was organized by the newly-organized Cory Aquino for President Movement. The campaign for signatures was waged all over the country, outside churches, schools and public markets and even along major avenues like Ayala Avenue. But even after more than a million signatures were presented to her, Cory did not announce her candidacy immediately. It was only at the end of November when she finally made her decision. She was clearly reluctant to run but later she explained, “The will of the people was the cross I have to bear.”

These circumstances may sound eerily familiar today.

After the snap election, it was clear that Cory Aquino had won. But the puppet Batasang Pambansa declared Marcos as the official winner.

The question on everybody’s mind then was – what do we do now?

Cory Aquino decided it was time to call people to another rally. Veteran politicians protested, saying that the fear of persecution would result in a low turnout. But Cory insisted that she felt people were waiting for a call for action. Cory also said that the rally should be in Luneta, so that we could find out if thTe people were ready to fight or surrender. On Feb. 16, 1986, the Tagumpay ng Bayan rally was held in Luneta and the crowd was estimated to reach two million.

The following week, the saga of the four days in EDSA happened. This is a story that has been told and retold in many books.

The saga of the road to EDSA must inspire and never be forgotten.

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