EDSA at 40

I was about 11 years old when EDSA happened. I am 50 years old today. It was a very unforgettable experience for me and my family, as little did I understand the cost of our democracy, especially when you could have lost both your parents who served as NAMFREL volunteers. Up to a few years back, every People Power anniversary would show footages on television of my mom and dad carrying a bloodied man attacked by goons. My dad had my mom in one arm and the man on the other, while being interviewed by international media as they walked the streets of Guadalupe Viejo to flee the scene. It was only later on, after Marcos fled, that I saw full videos on Betamax ( yes, I reached Betamax), of actual scenes of the incident where my mom was on a rooftop shouting for help. Again , I had no idea how bad things actually got.

As a young girl, my Tito Chino Roces took us to meetings where each one played over and over the songs “Bayan ko” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon.” There was even an actual time when, because I was so young, I had no idea I was asking a lady to keep twirling me around so I could dance to all the songs being played. Being “makulit,” I just asked her to,  and she humbly obliged. Even when Tito Chino told me who she was, I was still too young to understand that the lady who I was making kulit to was one day going to be the next president of the Philippines, Corazon C. Aquino.

I also remember being on top of buildings throwing yellow confetti down to the streets. It was like raining yellow back then and still, being so young, I never fully understood what was happening. I just knew I was, together with so many people, part of something big.

I remember a story about the time my younger brother and my father went to the United States, either in the same year or the next, and they were invited to the cockpit where the pilot of the aircraft asked my brother how he felt about our victory as a nation. My brother, also being so young, simply expressed that like everyone, he was very proud to be part of something important. Imagine, foreigners were asking Filipinos how they felt about this event in our history. We Filipinos were so popular in those days that everywhere we went, people were intrigued about our bloodless revolution – a true people power moment.

Fast forward to today when the Philippines is once again finding itself in the middle of so much turmoil, people power seems to be making a stronger impression on us all but perhaps not in the way we once experienced, considering the lack of real unity as one country. I still feel that many of the reasons behind a push for change is still political in motivation, when EDSA in 1986 was full of heart strings motivated by love for God, country and people. Back then, our actions towards each other showed our love for God. We were in the streets sharing our food, talking to each other with kindness and regard and, whether you were a businessman or the balut vendor, those things didn’t matter. We were simply Filipinos. Each of us had a purpose and we didn’t stratify. It felt so good to be a Filipino then, because we made the right connections with each other.

Nowadays we are stricken by factions and many fall silent in their convictions for fear of being judged by others. EDSA reminds me of how much we showed our love for our country and we weren’t afraid to do so, especially when we saw our loved ones in the frontlines of battle. As young as I may have been in those days, I still clearly recall the many people who did just that – including our Armed Forces whose hearts were won over by Filipinos in peace.

To me, EDSA is not about the popular personalities but rather, about how God worked in each and every one of us to keep peace and restore our democracy. Whether we like it or not, even the late president Marcos Sr. refused to allow Filipinos to be hurt during EDSA. That’s God’s work right there – in the heart of the president for the sake of the people.

Today, we continue to commemorate EDSA and while the fire still continues to burn in our hearts, I believe it must continue to reflect not only what people have done but rather, what God does in the middle of chaos and uncertainty. Matthew 7:16-20 always reminds us that fruitful outcomes stem from God and it will always reflect His nature. I am a Christian and I truly believe that, imperfect as I may be, or any of us for that matter, God can work in our lives abundantly, for as long as we abide in the teachings of Jesus.

EDSA brings back so many memories and 40 years later, I am still grateful. Today EDSA to me is a whole different kind of revolution. It is ultimately a spiritual transformation where everything should come from within. It is a revolution that first begins in our hearts. We must ask God to first change our hearts so that we can be the salt and light for our country where integrity, kindness and love are the foundation for genuine governance.