#COLUMN | Force-fed forgetfulness: EDSA’s diminishing spirit
By Reugene Dwane Lopez
The Filipino is a revolutionary.
Our history can attest to that — filled to the brim with uprisings against those who aimed to subjugate us, it seems it is in our nature to speak out and rise up against oppression.
February 25 marks the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, a modern manifestation of our fervor. On that day in 1986, millions banded together to peacefully denounce the various injustices committed under the regime of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., particularly the dark times of Martial Law. In this endeavor, Filipinos were successful; the disgraced dictator and his family fled into exile in Hawaii, and democracy was finally given a new lease of life in the Philippines.
Yet almost four decades later, the same family that left Malacañang is back in the presidential palace once more. Last year, incumbent president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the former kleptocrat, failed to include the People Power Anniversary on the list of holidays. The president stated that the date of the anniversary, falling on a Sunday, had “minimum socioeconomic impact.”
This year, the day was designated a “special working holiday,” wherein schools and other institutions operate as if it were a normal work day. Moves like this are quite expected for a president trying to clean up and revise the image of his clan. The trivialization of the revolution that expelled them from their thrones is their latest attempt in revising their dark past in a bid to curry the public’s favor.
Unfortunately, they are succeeding.
The main goal of EDSA was to oust the Marcoses and bring back power to the masses. Years later, the masses have used that power to bring them back; we, the Filipino people, have elected the son of a lawmaker who we ironically ostracized less than fifty years ago. Such an act seems to signal that a majority of us have appeared to have forgotten all the struggles we endured to break the shackles of despotism and willingly enabled the very cause of our suffering to return, even welcoming them with open arms, turning all the sacrifices of the revolution for naught.
Short-sightedness as a weapon
It all plays out like a sick joke: to see what we have done with the hope this revolution gave us, a hope that we could finally decide the future of our country. We have run it down to the ground, onto a stinking gutter, filled to the brim with noxious fumes of illusory visages and storied “golden ages”. Whatever flickering ember of solace that remained from 1986 is well on its way to snuffing out.
Now, we are in an era of stagnation. Political dynasties jostle for positions to gain prominence, all the while ordinary people struggle to get by with meager wages as prices for necessities skyrocket. Candidates and incumbents capitalize on these problems, proposing lofty promises and stop-gap solutions made with little foresight and no intention but to exploit the people and maintain their hold.
All signs point to one conclusion: the Filipino, no matter how revolutionary they may be, is too forgiving, swayed by empty words.
The Filipino is divided and caught up in petty squabbles to see those who pull strings in the shadows. This unfortunate truth is the result of circumstances placed onto them by those at the top. A politician could immediately create plans and policies designed to ease the troubles of their citizens. He could provide better housing, employment, and infrastructure. In fact, that’s the very essence of a politician’s job. He chooses not to, however, as that takes time and money — money that could be used to buy another sports car or house and lot.
“How do we make sure the people don’t find out then?” the politician muses internally in his air-conditioned SUV.
He knows that if the masses see him abusing his power, pouring public funds to enrich his private life, they wouldn’t stand around and do nothing; they’d go and speak out. A miniature EDSA would surely lose him his position. Deep in reverie, an epiphany suddenly hits him. The public may be able to put him in this responsibility, but he can decide what he can do with it — he can just do nothing. If he does anything, it’s a glorified boondoggle; a mirage of an effort that may not even solve anything. Its sole purpose would be to appease the people, make them confident that they made the right choice, and probably spur them to vote for him again in the next election.
Throughout the country, this strategy has seen widespread use. If the people keep struggling, keep worrying about pressing matters like feeding their families or finding a job that pays them enough to do so, they won’t be able to afford their concern about whether a senator or congressman is an embezzler. In a sense, it’s become a form of gaslighting, implemented on a societal level: local leaders offer to be the solution to an underlying problem, while also perpetuating that same problem through inaction. A perfect way to quench the revolutionary fires of the Filipino.
It is this method that the Marcoses have employed consistently on the road back to political relevance — perfectly pinpointing what the people are desperately asking for, talking a lot of big words to butter them up, and instantly making them forget that this was the same family who murdered students and farmers.
Breaking cycles, holding on to that spark
A certain countryman of ours, a writer and ophthalmologist who had lived more than a century prior, when these islands were still under Spanish rule, famously declared: “He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”
The eagerness of the ruling class to undo the memory of EDSA is definitely notable, and a cause for concern. Their eagerness stems from an unlikely source: fear. A fear that the common Filipino remembers what they are capable of, the ideals they long for, and the lengths they can go to achieve them. A fear that that one individual will share those realizations with others, and before long, another awakening spreads like wildfire, whose flames roar in unison for fairness and equity, for wise leaders, who will dedicate themselves to a lifetime of service. A fear that people all over the nation will strive for more, to rise up from the bleak, oppressive mediocrity set in place by those on top, relighting the fuse of revolution our people have always possessed.
The day an awakening of that degree happens is the day the Philippines will finally revive the spirit of EDSA — where the will of the people is made concrete and truly recognized.
Attaining such a movement on the national level seems shaky or even downright outlandish, but it is possible. Observing the EDSA revolution in all its full solemnity is merely the first step to preserving our revolutionary spirit. Activist groups continue to keep the spirit of revolution still alive in our youth. Elections have shown us that we still have the power to dictate who can help lead our country into the light. Basic rights like the freedom of speech allow us to advise our government in the right direction, ensuring that their decisions are made in our best interest. The very execution of our democratic system is a testament to the indelible mark the revolution has left in our history.
In a world increasingly becoming set upon by division and persecution, let us not forget that we hold the power to change our society for the better. It was called the People Power Revolution for a reason. Never forget it.
