Certain events had been building up to this particular milestone in our nation’s history. Here’s a bit of a backgrounder:
Marcos’s term as president, especially after the promulgation of Martial Law in 1972, was characterized by widespread repression of rights, the lack of freedom of speech, and the President’s manipulation of the government’s legislative, judicial, and military arms. All these indications of oppression and tyranny climaxed in 1983, when Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino —a politician who was well-loved by the people and who posed a threat to the President’s regime— was assassinated upon arriving in the country after a self-imposed exile.
However, February 22, 1986, signified the end of a people’s tolerance of this widespread abuse of power, as well as the beginning of a united struggle for concrete political change. It was clear that the Filipino people, having suffered under Marcos’s reign for 20 years, were no longer going to allow themselves to be subjected to despotism and the curtailment of their liberty.
The civilians comprising the multitudes in EDSA gave one another aid, support, and protection as they carried out peaceful demonstrations and faced the incoming military forces deployed by the President. People held prayer vigils, rallies, and processions and joined in unified cries of dissent against Marcos’s authoritarianism.
This peaceful revolution lasted three days. On February 25, 1986, our nation finally saw the end of 14 years under a cruel dictatorship: the president and his family fled to Hawaii, and Corazon Aquino, Ninoy’s widow, became the country’s new president.
Twenty-five years later—and for decades more to come—our nation still recognizes the significance of that particular period in our history. Today, as we celebrate the anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, let us revisit five principal things that we may glean from this historical event:
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