Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of physical and sexual abuse.
FOR THREE years, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has denied the EDSA Revolution a proper commemoration. The deliberate steps pursued by his administration to minimize the discussion of his father’s dictatorship effectively blur this shining moment in Philippine history that restored democracy by overthrowing his family.
The attempts to undermine the national holiday have unsurprisingly sparked outrage from institutions and civic groups. In resistance to state efforts reducing the importance of People Power, Filipinos have endeavored for more concerted efforts to memorialize it.
39 years after February 25, 1986, preserving the Revolution’s memory for future generations has become imperative for Filipinos in solidarity with those who sacrificed for its cause nearly four decades ago.
Beyond this mission, however, current challenges posed by the Marcoses call for greater efforts to find the essence of the revolt’s meaning—one that can be deeply ingrained in Filipinos across generations amid the nation’s ever-changing contexts.
Standing with EDSA’s spirit
Despite President Marcos Jr.’s continuous bid to diminish EDSA’s impact—from subjecting it to “holiday economics” to declaring it as a special working holiday—the annual activities held in remembrance of the Revolution remain alive in the organized events along the EDSA People Power Monument.
Several schools in Metro Manila, particularly institutions under the EDSA-Ortigas consortium and Catholic schools, have declared a suspension of regular classes and operations in defiance of Marcos Jr.’s order this year. Likewise, they urged their member schools to observe the spirit of EDSA by holding commemorative celebrations.
For the historical event’s 39th anniversary, other organizations initiated mobilizations, documentary screenings, and masses on the 25th of February to remember the events of Martial Law and the wider Marcos dictatorship.
These measures to remember the People Power Revolution underscore people’s continued resolve to safeguard the movement’s struggle. As Filipinos remain determined to never forget, they promise to ensure that the atrocities of Martial Law never happen again.
However, as the Revolution moves farther away, advocates now face the difficulty of maintaining its relevance among a population of Filipinos who were not alive to witness it.
Innovations in political machinery have instigated wide disinformation campaigns seeking to discredit the legacy of EDSA, leading to the disillusionment of the revolution’s image among many young people.
Continuing the grassroots efforts of advocacy groups would mean instilling active participation among the youth, but the challenge to these efforts lies in making sense of the Revolution’s significance to them at present.
Political Science Department Assistant Professor Oliver John Quintana, MA believes that initiatives to commemorate the EDSA Revolution are vital reminders for the nation’s leaders to wield their power accordingly. “The moment that power is abused, misused, taken on for one’s own benefit, the people will rise up and will demand accountability [and] transparency,” he asserted.
Quintana emphasized that the EDSA Revolution symbolized an exercise of civic participation and active citizenship expected from every Filipino as a key participant in nation-building. More than the ousting of the Marcos family out of Malacañang, the movement’s reverence in national history is sourced from “[our recommitment] to democracy and freedom.”
The spirit of EDSA is not, however, only confined to 1986. Its message can also be applied to moments when a dignified stance is needed.
According to Quintana, the 2022 National Election was the political event that served the same effects on his students as EDSA 1986 had on past generations of Filipinos. As such, he believes that the upcoming 2025 Midterm Election is another juncture in reframing the youth’s ‘EDSA’ and concretizing the image of a fair and just society.
Situating EDSA in the context of this generation is thus Quintana’s suggestion to ensure that the Revolution’s essence retains its relevance among the youth today. To elicit a response and participation, they must be encouraged and reminded of their role in memorializing the triumphs of people-led democracy.
“We invite the youth to reflect: what is your generation’s EDSA? […] To make it relevant, we ask ano ang mga bagay na ipinaglalaban [nila] ngayon (we ask what kind of things do they stand for?),” he said.
People power in the youth
While the youth of the nation are encouraged to reflect on their own causes, for Cristina Pargas-Bawagan—a Trustee of Bantayog ng mga Bayani—the fight for democracy began much earlier than the EDSA revolution.
She became an activist in her high school years and then carried this passion into her college life at the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila. However, in her first year, Bawagan’s advocacy was met with a turning point when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial Law.
“Rallies were not allowed, therefore we staged lightning rallies in school,” she recounts. “Someone would give the cue and then we would all shout, ‘Marcos, Hitler, Diktador, Tuta’ about 10 times, then disperse.”
Bawagan eventually transferred to UP Diliman where after her graduation in 1976, she dedicated herself full-time to activism. Such a decision led to her arrest in 1981, the year she was taken to a “safehouse” where she underwent physical and sexual abuse.
Fortunately, due to her late father’s status as a naval officer, Bawagan’s mother was able to leverage such connections to the Marcos family to negotiate, ensuring her release.
After much ordeal in the time of Martial Law, Bawagan experienced a more peaceful environment during the EDSA revolution and the events leading up to it. She recalled the lively rallies she attended in the stretch between Camp Crame and Aguinaldo.
This nonviolent time of rallying for a more democratic government is why Bawagan believes EDSA’s commemoration remains vital. It was a rare moment when people from all walks of life united selflessly for a common cause.
“It is important that everyone learns that people power is very important. At all times. Regardless of who the president is. Whether he is a dictator or whether he is a good president, the people should always be organized, empowered, and [should] always push, so that the law is enforced or justice is given,” she declares.
Bawagan especially believes that power resides in the youth as the hope for the motherland. As a former teacher and current Coordinator of The Survivor’s Hub (Martial Law 1972–1986), she and her organization collaborated with the Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission to supply learning materials to the Department of Education for the MATATAG Curriculum.
Ateneo Senior High School teacher Lorenzo Quintin Vesagas shared similar sentiments on the value of learning Philippine history at a young age. While commending the inclusion of Philippine History in Grades 4–10, Vesagas questioned the MATATAG Curriculum’s content and delivery, as the specifics have yet to be released to the public.
“When we look at a historical event, we shouldn’t just contain it to just itself. We have to analyze what are the other things that it also affects. And from there, that’s when we can really begin to see, or begin to understand, or really appreciate what it brought to us,” he explains. With MATATAG’s implementation, Vesagas holds a personal fear of the subtle attempts to “clean history” under the guise of decongesting.
Notably, the new curriculum holds less information on the Marcos’ role in Martial Law, omits key details about national heroes, strips vital context needed to fully understand the revolution, and deliberately replaces Diktadurang Marcos with Diktadura. Given these efforts of distortion, the EDSA Revolution is at risk of being trivialized as a mere holiday.
Thus, for Vesagas, this is the challenge that Filipinos now face—keeping the memory of the Revolution and the people who died for it and for democracy alive.
Maneuvering memories
In response to growing threats of historical distortion, the University has integrated discussions on Martial Law and EDSA into its curriculum. For instance, the University offers students with electives facilitating such discussions, namely Mga Panitikan at Pelikula ng Siyudad: Panahon ng Batas Militar (PNTKN 135.03i) and previously Martial Law and Memory (HISTO 172).
While the University has always been committed to honoring events related to EDSA and Martial Law, Quintana highlights that it was only through the creation of the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library (AMLML) that the University was able to concretize its stance. “The creation of this museum and library sends out a clear message that Ateneo will always do its best to remember,” Quintana stressed.
Aside from the creation of AMLML, the University annually holds various activities ranging from talks, exhibits, mass celebrations, and film showings. According to Quintana, the Ateneo also offers avenues for students to utilize their talents in remembering EDSA.
For instance, he cites concerts wherein students get to commemorate through song and essay and art contests that allow students to convey the message of Martial Law and EDSA.
Through these instances, Quintana underscores the significance of student involvement and participation in sustaining the meaning of such activities. He recalls that students are able to learn best through storytelling and participation in political conversations, thus studying Martial Law and EDSA should be done in their respective disciplines.
“If it’s interdisciplinary, try to contextualize or use examples about Martial Law in their discussions so that people will never forget about it. What we need are creative means to remember,” he expounds in a mix of English and Filipino.
Thus, Quintana highlights AMLML’s strides in collaborating with various offices, such as the Ateneo Laboratory for Learning Sciences, in creating initiatives that could better connect with the student body.
With such efforts to make activities interdisciplinary, he underscores that the main challenge of commemorating EDSA lies in making initiatives relevant and accessible to its wider audience.
Thus, Quintana asserts that educational discussions of these historical events should be contextualized to current times through critical reflections on the country’s situation, particularly the prevailing historical distortion and lack of accountability in governance.
As such, it is through enacting and learning from the mistakes of the past that the educational aspect of remembering comes into play. Quintana stresses that every generation is tasked with the responsibility to preserve the memory of EDSA and pass on its lessons.
“When we cease to remember, we do not only stop acknowledging the atrocities that took place in the past, we also forget the very things that we fought for […] remembering also helps us dream of a better country,” he highlights.
Ultimately, the legacy of the EDSA revolution extends beyond an isolated piece of history. It holds a continued responsibility and commitment toward remembering how the power belongs to people. The revolution constantly reminds the people that reinvigorating its memories is not caged in the confines of the commemoration alone; it endures in how we act and live upon it, given our personal and collective contexts.
