MANILA — A bill is seeking to declare February 25 of every year as a regular national public non-working holiday to commemorate the EDSA People Revolution that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman filed House Bill 9405 after Malacañang excluded February 25 from the list of 2024 holidays.

• Palace announces regular holidays, special days in 2024

"It has often been said that Filipinos have a short memory. This is unsurprising since we as a country have failed to institutionalize memorialization compared with other states," Lagman said.

"Memorialization brings the current generation back to the past so as to learn from its lessons and challenges and better understand the prevailing problematic national situation," he said in his explanatory note.

The bill was filed 37 years after the People Power Revolution and over a year after the ousted dictator's son and namesake President Marcos Ferdinand Jr. swept to power.

Marcos, Sr.'s daughter Imee is a a senator while his nephew, Martin Romualdez is House Speaker. His grandson Sandro is House Senior Deputy Majority Leader.

Lagman does not see Marcos Jr.'s incumbency as a hindrance to the passage of this law.

"The Marcoses and their allies are forced to good in agreeing with the bill because otherwise they would admit to the culpability of the continuing and concerted design of revising and distorting the historical verities of the evils, oppression and profligacy of the Marcos, Sr. martial law regime," Lagman said.

"Why is the bill filed only now? We forgot that Filipinos are forgetful and sitting presidents would treat in varying degrees the celebration of the peaceful EDSA People Power Revolution... There has to be a law memorializing the Filipino people's relentless crusade for freedom and democracy which culminated in the ouster of Marcos, Sr.," he added.

February 25, 2024 was not declared a holiday because it would fall on a Sunday and have "minimum socioeconomic impact", the Palace said.

• Palace explains why Feb. 25 not in 2024 holidays list

Next year's list of holidays still includes August 21, which memorializes the assassination of Marcos Sr.'s chief political rival, Benigno Aquino Jr. This holiday is covered by a law signed in 2004 by then President Gloria Arroyo.

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