The EDSA Revolution Present:

Propelling the Nation into a

Prosperous Future from a Glorious
Democratic Past
Edward Quinto

A yellow flower in the highlands of Batangas for Tito Ninoy and Tita Cory

A long time of 24 years has gone by so swiftly, since the glorious days of the
peaceful revolution in EDSA. The memorable days of February 1986 found me
preoccupied with matters of heaven and earth. In the company of fellow
amateur astronomers at the Manila Observatory, we were busy telescopically
scanning the heavens to be the first in the Philippines to observe the second
return of Comet Halley in the twentieth century. Down to earth, I became a part
of a historical movement employing the collective power of the people to make
a change for the common good. Those last few days of February 1986 bore
witness to the uprising of a nation that ended the dark years of a totalitarian
regime. We, the people, took matters into our own hands and ultimately made a
permanent transformation in Philippine society. It was a change that left a
lasting legacy of democratic empowerment for the Filipino people. I will always
look back fondly to those days that rocked the Philippines to its very foundation
and ushered in a new age of democracy and prosperity; but wait, democratic
yes; but prosperous, not yet. Achieving prosperity in the Philippines still lies in
the distant future; it is still an ongoing arduous process many of us are still
dreaming of.

My EDSA story began in 1982, a year before the dyeing days of Martial Law, in
a seemingly auspicious time when my friends and I just graduated from UST.
Benjie, Gerry, Beyem, Caloy and I made up this bunch of “EDSA Revolutionary
Babies”. We immediately pursued graduate study in the same university, except
for one who went to UP Diliman, to buy a little time while we looked around for
our dream occupation. Three of us took up MS Microbiology while the other two
pursued MS Chemistry. Those were the days when graduates in the Philippines
applied in droves for employment to just one place in the world: the Middle
East. Every page of the classified ads of the major broadsheets carried large
advertisements of companies hiring skilled workers for Saudi Arabia. It was also
the days when the Marcoses were still very much in power; when Madam
Imelda Marcos assumed several key government posts and when a full house
at the CCP had to await her momentous arrival for a major concert to begin.
Many people during that time including myself and my friends started out
apolitical and with good reasons. If you were in the middle income bracket
group, you can pretend that you are living in a new society of peace and
progress under the Marcos regime. In short, you just turn a blind eye to the
massive injustices, widespread corruptions and immense censorship of the
media happening around you. But every now and then, you’d hear stories from
friends and from the anti-establishment news of people disappearing in the
middle of the night only to be found murdered in some far flung disserted areas.
These hapless people who were simply asking for fair treatment or who were
just expressing lawful grievances stood no chance against the might of a
government bent on perpetuating itself in power. Only the church was in a
position of power to stand up and face the government eye to eye on questions
of freedom and security. But there were instances when the state flexed it
muscle against the church. One late night, the military invaded the peace of the
Father’s Residence at the Ateneo de Manila University searching for a Jesuit
priest who was reported to espouse left leaning tendency. The Jesuits were
very vocal against the excesses of the Marcoses.

Then a voice began to make loud noises in the political arena that surely rattled
the Marcos regime. It was the redeeming voice of Senator Benigno Aquino, a
person of uprightness and integrity, challenging Pres. Ferdinand Marcos to
return democracy back to the Philippines. Senator Aquino was fondly called
Ninoy by the people and those who loved him. Because of his strong will to
challenge Pres. Marcos, Senator Aquino suffered humiliation and
imprisonment. Sen. Aquino was later on found to be suffering from a heart
ailment and was allowed by the government to go to the US to seek medical
treatment. His plan to return back to the Philippines after the medical treatment
to carry on with his fight for democratic reform must have earned the ire of the
powers that be. Soon, the airwaves were filled with the song “Tie a Yellow
Ribbon” by Tony Orlando. It’s the story of a man who wanted to know from his
loved ones if he’s still welcome to return back home by tying a yellow ribbon
around an old oak tree. The song captured the hearts and minds of the Filipinos
for it embodied Sen. Aquino’s strong determination to return back to the
Philippines. From then on, yellow became the colour of the “Aquino Movement”
whose aim was to topple Pres. Marcos from power. Surely enough, when Sen.
Aquino alighted from the plane, he was gunned down without mercy. One can
see a sombre and sad Ninoy standing up from his seat inside the China
Airways plane. He must have felt at that moment that a tragic fate was about to
unfold for him. But for someone who loved his country, he was willing to
sacrifice even his life at the altar of freedom. The assassination was definitely
one of those rare moments in one’s life when one can vividly remember where
one was or what one was doing. I recalled my brother opening the door of our
room in that ill-fated late Sunday afternoon to tell me that Sen. Aquino was shot
dead in the airport. Distraught, I just stared at him and never said a word. He
closed the door gently back to let me be again. Alone in my room, I froze in
disbelief and just found myself enveloped in despair. I felt the pain of loss of
someone I considered close to me like a beloved family member. He was my
hero who fought valiantly for his impossible dream, which were my very own
dream and the nation’s as well. After the death of Ninoy, my friends and I
became politicized as everyone else in the academic community. Teachers and
students were now united in their discontent and resentment at the
condemnable turn of events. UP Diliman was the most vocal among the
Philippine universities in expressing dissatisfaction against the Marcos regime.
A friend from UP Manila told me that the most popular question at that time was
“Makabayan ka ba” which translates as “Are you for the country”. The days that
followed were one of the most tumultuous days in Philippine politics. One early
evening, Gerry convinced us to go to Santo Domingo Church to pay respect to
our fallen hero. We all agreed and excitedly took the jeepney from UST to
Santo Domingo. Our drive to join the noble cause of the grand “Aquino
Movement” finally began. The church and its vicinity were filled with so many
people from all walks of life who liked us were affected so much by his
assassination. Soon the day of interment arrived and the silent majority of the
Philippines came out in force. A sea of humanity bearing the yellow colour
followed the open casket of the slain senator from the Santo Domingo Church
all the way to the Loyola Memorial Park in Parañaque. I took my ride from F.B.
Harrison in Pasay City, where I lived at that time, to Santo Domingo in that
memorable morning. But when I reached the foot of the Quiapo Bridge, the
traffic was no longer moving because of the large crowd that formed the funeral
procession. I had no choice but to alight from the jeepney and waited at the foot
of the Bridge. The song “Bayan ko” (My Nation) by Freddie Aguilar was widely
sung during that time of dissent for it meant so much to Filipinos who believed
in the democratic ideals Sen. Aquino was fighting for. As the casket of Sen.
Aquino passed some distance in front of me, I felt the grief of his untimely death
and experienced oneness with the mourning Filipino masses demanding for
justice. We were also united in praying for freedom and democracy stolen by
the Marcos regime to be returned back to us. Beyem who went all the way with
the colossal funeral procession to the Loyola Memorial Park told me that when
a heavy downpour happened leaving everyone wet and dripping, no one dared
open an umbrella as cries rang out in the crowd that only Madam Marcos opens
an umbrella. It was a day when the Philippines stood still and lamented the
passing away of an illustrious son – a valiant fighter for freedom.

As the saga of the Aquinos moved on, a sudden momentous twist of fate
catapulted Mrs. Corazon Aquino into the limelight of Philippine politics. Known
fondly as Cory or Tita Cory, she took up the fight of her husband and
challenged Marcos for the presidency in a snap election. Metro Manila was
again bathed in yellow as the sign of a peaceful mass protest. Yellow ribbons
were proudly displayed; yellow armbands were confidently worn and yellow
confetti rained down on rallies taking place in city streets. I remembered cutting
the yellow pages of the Philippine Telephone Directory in strips to be thrown out
of our windows from the 4th floor of the UST Charity Hospital to show support to
downtown parades against the Marcos government. We were also at the corner
of Ayala and Paseo waiting for Kris Aquino, who was just a little girl then that
instantly gained popularity. She arrived to thunderous applause to give us, the
assembled crowd, messages of encouragement in the fight for freedom and
democracy in the Philippines. It was also the first time for us to travel to
Fairview, where June Keithly of DWRV was beaming the only free radio
broadcast of peaceful protest to the Filipino nation. As we travelled to visit
DWRV to give our monetary donation, we felt excited and privileged to support
this venerable radio station in its fight against media suppression. For us the
ride to Fairview, fondly called Farview, which was located at the ends of our
known Metropolitan Manila seemed to have lasted eternity. The road to
Fairview was flanked by trees and thick vegetation; today the trees were no
longer there replaced by malls, houses, and a wide concrete highway. Pres.
Marcos then tried to rig the results of the snap election that soon precipitated
the EDSA revolution of 1986. The late Cardinal Sin called on the people to
support Mr. Fidel Ramos and Mr. Juan Ponce Enrile who spearheaded a coup
d’ etat in Camp Crame against Pres. Marcos. People poured en masse for
several days into the EDSA highway to give their support to the beleaguered
general and secretary of defence against the military might of Pres. Marcos and
his henchman Gen. Fabian Ver. Priests, nuns, students, celebrities, simple
people, etc. bravely faced tanks and soldiers. With rosaries, bibles, and Statues
of the Blessed Virgin Mary held aloft, they were successful in keeping the
power of Gen. Ver’s military at bay. One afternoon, in spite of the danger, we
decided to go to EDSA to get a firsthand experience of what the revolution
going on was liked. As we travelled to Cubao from UST, I feared an imagined
scenario of a minor skirmish erupting into a full blown military confrontation and
we were caught in between the two camps. But thank God my fear did not
materialize and we lived to see the days when the revolution ended without
much bloodshed. The jeepney had to stop at New York Street since traffic was
no longer flowing along EDSA due to the mass protest going on. We alighted
from the jeepney and walked all the way to Camp Crame. We soon reached
Camp Crame and Camp Aquinaldo and I remembered that the mood was quite
festive. Soldiers and people from all walks of life were mingling around us
enjoying the camaraderie that brought us all together in this place of peaceful
revolt. We felt the sense of unity of a people calling for Mr. Marcos to step down
and to depart from the country immediately. That was the day when the people
spoke with one voice and demanded the end of a dictatorship. After staying in
the area between the two camps for several hours, we decided to move on as
night was fast approaching. People filled EDSA from Cubao all the way to
Makati and I am sure even beyond. It felt surrealistic as there were no moving
vehicles to watch for. EDSA was known as a long stretch of the busiest
thoroughfare in the Philippines with its heavy two-way traffic. So we began the
long trek to Makati enjoying the rare event and ending the day with prayers that
violence will be avoided and Pres. Marcos will go away peacefully. The news
finally came one evening that Pres. Marcos and his family had left Malacañang
Palace en route to Hawaii. I can hear some fireworks exploding from afar
celebrating the departure of the Marcoses. It was the intervention of the US
embassy and the US government through Pres. Reagan that made this
peaceful transition of power possible. Pres. Corazon Aquino assumed the
presidency with so much jubilation across the country. The Philippines
remained under her administration for the next six years. People revelled
believing that a new age of peace and prosperity has dawned on the
Philippines. Expectations were high that the Aquino administration will bring the
Philippines into the proverbial “Land of Milk and Honey”. Pres. Aquino soon
formed her government and life in the Philippines finally settled back to
normalcy. As days passed by, the glorious days of the EDSA Revolution were
slowly becoming a part of our distant memory only to be relived during our
small reunion and get together. Two of us, Benjie and Gerry, have now settled
in Australia.
But the six years of Aquino rule were beset by several coups and intra-
government bickering leaving the vast majority of the people still wallowing in
poverty. Many were left disillusioned and through the years became indifferent
to the ideals of the EDSA Revolution of 1986. Whatever happened to the
glorious days of the EDSA Revolution which seemed to have started a new age
of peace and prosperity? It was really an event so extraordinary and sacred that
it could have brought lasting peace in the Philippines with the NPA soldiers
coming down from their mountainous hideaways and the Muslim rebels laying
down their arms. Whatever happened to the promise of prosperity that would
have brought the socio-economic level of the Philippines at par with the
developed nations of the world? Those promises of prosperity for the
Philippines did not happen and nowadays still rang hollow. Many Filipino lives
whether they are from the army, rebels and civilians, are still sacrificed so
uselessly in the name of a better future or a better Philippines. Was the EDSA
Revolution a lost opportunity for peace and prosperity for the Filipino nation that
might not knock on our door again. Are we forever damned to live in a never
ending cycle of unrivalled violence, political immaturity and economic
instability? My heart once bled when a taxi ride brought me for the first time in
the Tondo and del Pan area. I saw densely populated communities living in old
worn out and dilapidated tenement buildings. What kind of life are the people
experiencing there right now? Do they still receive the benefits of a good
nutrition, education, health and even perhaps clean water? Whatever definitely
happened to the promises of EDSA 1986?

When Pres. Corazon Aquino passed away last year, she may have left a
country with unfulfilled dreams of prosperity but a country proud and steeped in
democratic idealism. Her funeral procession from the Manila Cathedral to the
Manila Memorial Park almost rivalled that of her husband. It was definitely one
of the most poignant moments in the history of the Philippines when even the
heavens poured down tears of sorrow. The day was ominously gloomy and
heavily rainy and everything seemed to have once again stood still to pay
tribute to an illustrious daughter of the Philippines who liked her husband gave
her whole life and unwavering dedication for a better life for her countrymen. I
kept asking myself why she was taken quite early in her life. Perhaps, it was
meant to be for it could surely pave the way for another Aquino to hold the helm
of the country. Tita Cory’s untimely demise magnified nostalgia for her
presidency of transparency, truthfulness, minimalism and morality. The history
of the Philippines will surely be divided into “Before Cory” or BC and “After
Cory” or AC. Before Cory (BC), the Philippines was just the show window of
democracy in Asia; after Cory (AC), the Philippines was a bastion, a fortress of
democracy in Asia. Indeed, the process of nation building is not yet over for the
Aquinos, we may just be half way through. Another Aquino is destined to bring
the EDSA revolution of 1986 not only into mere completion but more of a full
realization, from full democracy to full prosperity. If Ninoy and Cory brought us
into democratic maturity; then her son Nonoy will bring us into economic
prosperity. I know that I will not live to see the days when the Philippines’ per
capita income will equal or even surpassed those of Singapore and Hong Kong.
The time when every labourer will not anymore received a minimum daily wage
but much higher wages to enjoy the best things in life; when public schools will
have the best laboratory equipment and electronic visual aids for an effective
learning process; a time when the student to teacher ratio will be 20 is to 1;
when no one will die of food and water borne infections; when no one will fear
of being divested or killed due to acts of wanton criminality and finally when the
communists and the Mindanao rebels will have finally laid down their arms to
live in peace and harmony with their countrymen. The saga of the Aquinos is
surely not yet over and out. I believe that the fight is no longer to achieve full
democracy for we are now enjoying it thanks to Ninoy and Cory but how to
attain the dream of economic prosperity for the vast majority of the Filipinos.
The election for a new president in the Philippines is fast approaching, so let us
all please vote wisely. Let us elect another person who will carry on the ideals
that Ninoy and Cory fought for so admirably; a presidential candidate who will
personify honesty, simplicity, and selfless service to the Filipino nation. The
future viability of the Philippine nation in the international arena of commerce
and trade will be a very competitive one. So let us act now and work in unison
to swiftly move our country forward into economic prosperity lest we fall in
disunity and desert the nation once again to staggering poverty. Make no
mistake about it as I and the majority declare it, the future of a prosperous
Philippines belongs to Nonoy and Mar! They will carry on the illuminating torch
of a free and peaceful Philippines and lead us into a prosperous Philippines.
Long live the Spirit of the EDSA Revolution of 1986.

Biolumin: Blue Light Green

World