As the country struggles with worsening corruption and power imbalances, there is no better time to commemorate the 1986 People Power Revolution and the hard-fought democracy it afforded the Filipino people at present. Since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed the presidency three years ago, his administration has found ways to water down the legacy of the Filipinos who joined together to oust his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
In 2023, Marcos Jr. declared the anniversary of the People Power Revolution as a special non-working holiday, and the year after that, he moved the anniversary a day earlier. This year, Marcos Jr. categorized the EDSA Anniversary as a special working day. The importance of proclaiming the anniversary of the People Power Revolution as a regular holiday does not revolve around affording workers and students time off their work and studies alone. It is meant to provide the public time and space to honor the bravery of the Filipinos who resisted grave human rights abuses.
The government may try its best to downplay this historic moment, the duty to remember will always remain an imperative for the Filipino people. The Foundation for Media Alternatives calls on every one to reflect on this victory against former tyrants and imagine the future that awaits us if we harness the power of a united front against our present oppressors once more.
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