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‘Walang duda’: Aquino family says EDSA spirit is alive 37 years on
‘Walang duda’: Aquino family says EDSA spirit is alive 37 years on
ABS-CBN News
Published Feb 25, 2023 12:32 PM PHT
Confetti falls during the 37th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power revolution on February 25, 2023, at the People Power monument in Quezon City. This year’s commemoration carries the theme, “EDSA 2023: Pagkakaisa Tungo sa Kapayapaan at Pagbangon.” Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA - The EDSA spirit remains alive 37 years since it fueled a peaceful revolt that ousted the late President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. from power, the Aquino family said on Saturday.
“Today, we remember the heroism of the Filipino people who fought to end the Marcos dictatorship, thus restoring democracy in our country,” the family said in a statement posted on the Ninoy & Cory Aquino Foundation Facebook page.
The People Power Revolution, culminating on Feb. 25, 1986, installed Corazon "Cory" Aquino, widow of the assassinated Marcos political nemesis Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., into the presidency.
Ninoy was killed upon return from exile at the country’s main airport in August 1983, while Cory, who served until 1992, passed on in 2009. They have been hailed as democracy icons.
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Their son, Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III, became president from 2010 until 2016. He died in 2021.
The Philippines marks the 37th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution with a Marcos at the helm of Malacanang following the election last year of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., son and namesake of the late president.
The older Marcos served from December 1965 until February 1986. He died in 1989.
“The EDSA People Power Revolution showed the world that it was possible for a courageous and truly unified people to reclaim the freedom that a dictatorship had denied them. We believe that the indomitable spirit exemplified by one Filipino nation 37 years ago remains alive to this very day,” the Aquino family said.
“It is the same spirit that guards and protects our democracy, confronting those who attempt to deceive us and undermine our rights and liberties,” they added.
Marcos Jr. had defended his father's imposition of Martial Law in the country from 1972 until 1981, saying “objective indicators” such as the poverty rate, the Philippines’ international status, and the government’s financial situation while Marcos Sr. was in power show that the country was in better days then.
According to reports from human-rights watchdog Amnesty International, there were 100,000 victims of Martial Law, with 3,000 killed, 34,000 tortured, and 70,000 arrested.
On Saturday, Marcos Jr. said he is offering his "hand of reconciliation" again "to those with different political persuasions" as the country commemorates the anniversary of the People Power Revolution.
Asserting that the spirt of EDSA is undoubtedly alive, the Aquino family said, "Nakikiisa tayo sa lahat ng mga tumututol sa pagbalik ng diktadurya at sa parerebisa sa ating nagkakaisang alala."
"Nakikiisa tayo sa lahat ng naglilingkod para sa isang mas maginhawa at may malayang bukas para sa ating bansa. Nakikiisa tayo sa lahat ng kumikilos para isabuhay ang diwa ng EDSA,” they added.
About 6 in 10 Filipinos believe the spirit of the EDSA Revolution is alive, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released Thursday.
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