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February 25, 2025 | 2:04pm
MANILA, Philippines — The 1986 People Power movement proved that Filipinos could change the country’s course, even when it isn’t under a democracy.
For Kiko Aquino-Dee, grandson of former President Corazon Aquino, it remains undeniable proof of people’s strength.
“Kaya natin bilang mga mamamayan na baguhin ang sitwasyon natin kung anuman ang sitwasyon na ‘yun,” he said in an interview with DZBB 594 on Tuesday, February 25.
(As citizens, we have the power to change our situation, whatever it may be.)
Despite this, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has distanced his administration from the uprising’s legacy, reducing the EDSA anniversary to a special working holiday.
Yet 39 years later, many Filipinos remain committed to commemorating its significance.
Civil society groups and schools have organized events to cement the memory of how millions took to the streets — facing military troops and tanks — to protest the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime in 1986.
According to Amnesty International, his Martial Law regime saw 70,000 people detained, 34,000 tortured and over 3,000 extrajudicially killed.
“Malinaw para sa akin na hindi katanggap para sa isang Marcos Jr. na hindi kumikilala na napakalubha ang pagkakamali na ginawa ng kanyang tatay noong siya’y nanungkulan,” Aquino-Dee said.
(It is clear to me that it is unacceptable for Marcos Jr. to acknowledge the grave mistakes his father committed while in power.)
He added that it comes as no surprise that Marcos Jr. has no interest in commemorating the uprising, “even when EDSA was a clear expression of the people’s stand that any form of dictatorship or abuse is unacceptable.”
A space to seek justice
This spirit of accountability remains evident today, Aquino-Dee said, as Filipinos continue to use People Power not just to remember the past, but to confront present challenges and injustices.
Even without EDSA being declared a holiday in 2024, he noted that Filipinos still used February 25 to protest the proposed charter change — which were described by critics as an attempt to rewrite history, as the 1987 Constitution was one outcome of the movement.
This year, Aquino-Dee said the public is demanding transparency and accountability over the 2025 national budget, which has drawn scrutiny for alleged “pork barrel” insertions like the Ayuda sa Kapos ng Kita Program (AKAP), the lack of government subsidy for PhilHealth and cuts to the education budget.
With Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial hanging in the balance, he said Filipinos are seizing the moment to amplify public clamor for government action.
Some legal experts have argued that the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, or Congress’s four-month break, should not be used as an excuse to delay the proceedings.
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Hope in the power of the Filipino vote
While mass movements defend Filipinos' freedoms, Aquino-Dee said this year offers a “special chance” to shift the tide through the 2025 midterm elections.
“Ngayong 2025 meron tayong special chance na gamitin ang eleksyon para sabihin sa mga naghaharihariang mga paksyon sa Malacañang ngayon o sa Davao na hindi katanggap tanggap ang ginagawa nila,” Aquino-Dee added.
(This 2025, we have a special chance to use the elections to tell the ruling factions in Malacañang or Davao that their actions are unacceptable.)
For EDSA Shrine rector Father Jerome Secillano, hope for genuine change should never be lost. While some may have forgotten the past, he said this only reinforces the need to strengthen efforts to preserve the truth tirelessly.
“Huwag tayo magsawa sa pagpapaalala [sa mamamayan ng ating kasaysayan],” he said at a Tuesday radio interview.
(Let us not grow tired of reminding the people of our history.)
Secillano said that the EDSA Shrine and Filipinos who lived through and survived the Martial Law regime also play a vital role in setting the record straight and passing on the lessons of the People Power movement.
As Filipinos gather to remember People Power, organizers emphasize that the fight for its legacy is far from over, especially amid attempts to rewrite history.
