You cannot silence facts of history. #BuhayAngEDSA

You Cannot Silence Facts of History #BuhayAngEDSA #EDSA38

Written by Catherinne Cloi Perez

Commemorating the 38th year of EDSA 1 is a steer through a maze of institutional amnesia, corroborated by the removal of the current President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. of EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary as a public holiday and honouring the historic revolt which ended a regime of dictatorship in 1986.

In our plea to never forget, what can we do now to keep the truth alive?

The late dictator President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. took to the airwaves on September 23, 1972 to announce Proclamation No. 1081, which institutionalized the imposition of Martial Law in the Philippines. Justifying his decision, he cited the purported threat of communist insurgency within the nation. One significant event leading to this declaration was the ambush targeted at Juan Ponce Enrile, then serving as his secretary of national defense. The ambush occurred on Notre Dame Street within the Wack Wack Subdivision in Mandaluyong City. Enrile, supposedly en route to his residence in Dasmariñas Village, Makati, following a military briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, fell victim to the surprise attack.

However, four decades after Martial Law, Juan Ponce Enrile confessed in a media conference at Camp Crame that the so-called ambush on the evening of 23rd of September 1972 was fake and staged. Despite his confession, it is still meritless as the ambush only further maneuvered the events that led to the implementation of. Martial Law, and as the official announcement gave Marcos sweeping powers, he used such to suspend the Philippine Constitution and to establish a one-party state that lasted for 21 years.

The Martial Law period was characterized by human rights violations such as the imprisonment and torture of political opponents and dissenters, media censorship, and the use of paramilitary groups to instill fear in the population. Consequently, Martial Law was synonymous with the suppression of civil liberties, the suspension of habeas corpus, and the establishment of military tribunals. With rough estimation of 70,000 people who were imprisoned, 34,000 tortured, and 3,300 people killed, the pursuit of the Filipino people to break free from the chains had aggravated. In 1986 by a popular revolt, the dictator was ousted which culminated in a military-led bloodless coup.

Chris Sorio, a student activist when he was a college student in Quezon City during the time of Marcos Sr., relieved his experiences when he was tortured and jailed in the Philippines during the Martial Law era in the 1970s and ‘80s.

The campuses were heavily militarized at the time,” he remembered. “Plainclothes military people were enrolled in the universities, posing as your classmates, trying to listen to any criticisms, spying on students and everything.

According to Sorio following his arrest in 1982, after making him strip nude, military officers tied him to a chair and made him fall victim of electric shocks to his genitals. Meanwhile, Cristina Bawagan, a former political prisoner during the time of Marcos Sr., shared that she still has the dress she wore on the day she was taken into custody, subjected to torture, and sexually assaulted by soldiers. Sorio was one of many to live and share the horror of the Martial Law era, joining the ranks of those who refuse to let their experiences be buried with them. Unfortunately, countless others were not as fortunate and took their stories to the grave.

The EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 is not simply a four-day affair but rather the culmination of years of tireless pursuit of democracy. It transcends the Marcos and Aquino rivalry, for it was a movement by the people driven by the desire for freedom and liberty. Over half a million individuals gathered to protest against what is perceived to be snap elections and as the events exasperated, the revolution grew to a million people keeping vigil on the first night of the revolution alone. During its peak, an estimated three million people flooded EDSA from Ortigas Avenue all the way to Cubao.

38 years after the revolution, the current President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., has removed the EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary as a public holiday following a presidential proclamation declaring holidays for 2024. Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman then criticized the move by the Malacanang.

Ever since the Philippines has marked February 25 as a day of national celebration, irrespective of whether or not it falls on a Sunday. The more Marcos Jr. would sweep under the rug of historical perfidy the profligacy and oppression of his father’s dictatorship, the more unreachable reconciliation and justice will be.

Lagman said in a statement on the 14th of October 2023.

Recently, Mr. Carmelo Victor Crisanto, the Executive Director III of the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission, emphasized the institutionalized attempt of the Marcos administration to make people forget about the history by removing EDSA People Power as a holiday.

Marcos in the 38th year of People Power has not declared it as a holiday. Who among you remember EDSA People Power 2? That was a holiday […] when Erap was overthrown and Gloria ascended to power [It was a holiday]. But with the stroke of the pen, by the time of President Noynoy Aquino and by the time our people realized how corrupt Gloria Macapal Arroyo turned out to be, tinanggal na ‘yung holiday [EDSA People Power 2]. Kaya hindi ninyo na naaalala.

… and that’s what they are trying to do. Will try to do. Are attempting to do […] because the next generation may have no memory of what was just done in the recent past.

He shared in his speech at the symposium conducted by AdU-PULITIKA.

In the 38th year of the EDSA People Power Revolution, it is imperative to reflect on the attempt by the current government to erase the significance of EDSA on the freedom and democracy we have today. This includes the decades-long dictatorship of the Marcos regime, characterized by violence, oppression, and corruption. Now more than ever, it is crucial to preserve the truth and ensure that the stories of the revolution in Philippine history remain alive. In our plea to never forget, what we can do now to keep the truth alive is to join the movement meant to preserve the legacy and essentiality of EDSA and resist attempts to revise history.

Below are events commemorating the 38th EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary:

• Metro Manila | Organizers will begin the day with a motorcade against charter change along Ayala Avenue in Makati City at 8 am, to be followed by an event at Club Filipino in San Juan at 10 am. A concert will be held at the People Power Monument in Quezon City at 7 pm.
• Pasig City | Various groups under the No to ChaCha Network invites everyone to join their protest themed, “Tuloy ang laban ng EDSA! Biguin ang Chacha!” at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue at 3:30 pm. This will be followed by a mass at the EDSA Shrine.
• Rizal | The Liberal Party chapter in Angono will hold a forum on the day that Marcos Sr. was ousted 38 years ago.
• Quezon City | A free concert themed, “#EDSAKahitSaan” will be held at the People Power Monument in White Plains Avenue at 7 pm.
• Makati City | Mamamayang Liberal’s weeks-long event themed, “Buhay ang EDSA! Cancel Cha-Cha,” culminates on February 25. This will showcase the Edsa Freedom Ride at Ayala Avenue, Makati City, at 7:30 am.
• Bulacan | There will be a storytelling session for the youth in Malolos. Two churches will also ring their bells at 9 am in Meycauayan (FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://shorturl.at/gosN7)

In the attempt to erase an essential part of our history, we must actively resist efforts to rewrite the events of EDSA, and instead, continue to educate, commemorate, and honor the courage and sacrifice of those who fought for democracy. By actively participating in such events, we amplify the importance of the event which masterminded the freedom and democracy we have today, and would further resonate through generations.