Marking the 35th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, regarded as “the movement that restored a democratic institution and ushered the political, social, and economic reforms in the Philippines,” let us remember the events that shaped this nation's history.

Remembering the events which led to the 1986 Revolution

On February 25, 1986, millions of Filipinos marched along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) to end the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos. The four-day demonstration was a manifestation of the Filipinos’ discontent of Marcos’ totalitarian rule. 

From the rigged results of the snap elections proclaiming Marcos as victor, and on that same day Corazon Aquino spearheading a people’s victory rally at Luneta while calling for civil disobedience including the boycotting of Marcos-crony institutions, Marcos responded with threats to reinstate Martial Law in the country.

However, on Feb. 22, 1986, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile discovered a plot to implicate him and other officers involved in the Reform the Armed Forces Movement in a coup. He then announced his defection from Marcos, alongside Lieutenant General Fidel V. Ramos, followed by the announcement of the Catholic Church's support for the two.

Enrile and Ramos, alongside their growing number of supporters, marched the streets of EDSA forming a human-cordon to guard them against possible counter-offensives. Marcos, on the other hand, had mobilized forces under his command in the forms of armored tanks structured as barricades, together with heavily armed battalions as escorts. 

Filipinos showed their strength through song and slogans; the flashing of the “Laban sign” (Aquino’s campaign symbol); prayers and linked arms, human barricades, and flowers. Aquino was then sworn in as the rightfully elected President, immediately reinstating democracy after decades of Marcos’ iron rule.

People and Power

This historic event is forever commemorated and seared into the hearts and minds of Filipinos. In an article, Philippine Star columnist Joanne Rae Ramirez described this occasion perfectly, saying, “EDSA married the words ‘people’ and ‘power’ in order to spawn change: the restoration of free speech, Congress, freedom of the press, regular elections, and, arguably, a level playing field for all.”

The Filipino people’s great sense of unity to reclaim liberty did not falter. Determined to overthrow the dictator by means of a peaceful revolt, the events of the People Power Revolution proved the singular strength possessed by the masses. It is through the events of February 1986 that the course of Filipino history has been forever changed.