Marcos ‘can’t erase history?’ Palace downplays People Power anniversary

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

'History is history,' says Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, as the Marcos administration declares the EDSA People Power anniversary a 'special working day'

Can the President and Malacañang change historical narratives that don’t benefit the chief executive in power?

Not at all, according to, well, who else but Malacañang. 

Newly-appointed Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro defended the Palace’s decision not to declare the anniversary of the People Power Revolution a non-working day or a holiday by insisting that “it is the prerogative of the President” and that “there is encouragement to people to commemorate.” The People Power Revolution toppled the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake and father of the current president. 

The older Marcos led the Philippines for over two decades after assuming the presidency in 1965. He placed the country under Martial Law in September 1972 and lifted it on paper in January 1981. Even after martial rule was lifted, human rights abuses continued in the country, with the dictator targeting dissidents — from political rivals to ordinary Filipinos, many of whom eventually took arms. The Marcos regime is also remembered for the pilferage of government coffers — by both the Marcos clan and their cronies and associates. The dictator kept his one-man rule for 14 years until his ouster in 1986.

“Again, iyan na naman ay kanilang mga opinyon sa mga balak na tumuligsa sa Pangulo at sa pamahalaan,” said Castro, when asked in a press conference about criticism that Malacañang was trying to erase or distort history. 

(Again, that’s the opinion of those who want to criticize the President and the administration.) 

“Unang-una, isipin po natin, mayroon po bang pinahinto ang Pangulo na anumang activity na patungkol dito sa commemoration ng EDSA People? Since the time po na siya ay naging pangulo, wala po tayong nadinig na anumang pagpapahinto ng anumang events ‘no, any activities na maaaring mag-commemorate ng nasabing event. And at the same time, pansinin po natin, papaano po mabubura ang history? History is history. So, hindi po kakayanin po lang ng Presidente na ito ay mabura sa ating history,” she added. 

(First of all, think about it. Has the President stopped any activity on the commemoration of the EDSA People Power Revolution? Since the time that he’s been President, we have never heard of any attempt to stop these events, these activities to commemorate the revolution. At the same time, let’s think about it — how would history be erased? History is history. Not even the President can erase history.) 

Castro also presented a counterargument: if Marcos wanted to “erase the memories of EDSA People Power,” he would have turned to extraordinary means (“ibang klaseng pamamaraan ang gagawin”).

“As a matter of fact, we declared it as special working day but it is considered just a regular working day. But, what’s the purpose of special working day? It’s to encourage people to join any event kung kanilang kailangang i-commemorate ang isang affair (if they need to commemorate an affair),” she added. 

In 2024, the Marcos administration did not declare February 25 a holiday, since it fell on a Sunday, a typical rest day for workers. The administration went a step further this year — February 25 falls on a Tuesday. Proclamation No. 727, signed in October 2024 classifies the EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary as a “special working day,” but not a special holiday or non-working day as declared in past administrations. 

Past declarations

The anniversary of the People Power Revolution is not codified in law. It’s usually up to the sitting president or the administration, through proclamations, to declare the date a special non-working day or a special holiday for schools. 

Under former president Rodrigo Duterte, February 25 was a special non-working holiday, including in 2018, when it fell on a Sunday. Duterte, the iron-fisted former mayor of Davao City, had publicly expressed admiration for the dictator in the past. He recently lambasted President Marcos for supposedly having the same aspirations and plans as his dictator-father. 

Then under the late Benigno Aquino III, son of democracy icons Ninoy and Corazon Aquino, February 25 was only a special holiday for schools from 2011 to 2015. It was only in 2016 when the late Aquino declared February 25 a special non-working day. Under former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, February 25 was typically a special non-working holiday. 

In 2023, or the first People Power Revolution under the second Marcos presidency, the administration seemingly couldn’t decide how to label February 25. In 2023, at the last minute, Marcos declared that February 24 would be a special non-working day instead of February 25 itself. 

Castro has a point — it would be impossible for the Marcos administration to change history overnight. But here’s the thing — the makeover of the Marcos name has been decades in the making.

It’s a process that has seen the clan going from pariah in the international community to respected leaders in the international community.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is being regarded as one of the darlings internationally, being the face of a country that upholds a rules-based international order. It’s a rehabilitation project that’s seen the Marcos clan back in Malacañang, without even having to skip a generation. – Rappler.com