By Dennis Gorecho
“Let us retell the story of EDSA.”
Archbishop of Lipa Gilbert Garcera, D.D., president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), said in his pastoral letter marking the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution that “our first duty is to remember.”
“The fire of EDSA, set aflame 40 years ago, is ours to sustain. Let courage once again dwell in our hearts, and let faith reignite our passion to pursue the common good — not only for ourselves, but also for the next generations.”
Garcera added that “the dictatorship fell, not through violence, but through quiet perseverance and the power of piety and collective faith that clamored for justice and true change.”
Bishop Garcera lamented that Filipinos “have squandered the gift of EDSA … as we forgot that freedom is both a task and a duty.”
I was 15 years old and about to finish high school when I accompanied my relatives to participate in the EDSA uprising. I admit that I did not fully grasp why millions of Filipinos converged along EDSA in Metro Manila and in cities across the country.
Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. was the longest-serving president in Philippine history, holding office for over 20 years — from December 30, 1965, until he was ousted on February 25, 1986. His 21-year rule (7,362 days) included a period of martial law from 1972 to 1981, which enabled him to remain in power beyond his constitutional terms.
Instead of delivering its promised stability and prosperity, the imposition of martial law generated intense social conflict and a worsening economic crisis.
Growing civil discontent and political opposition, combined with a restive military, mounted resistance against the repressive Marcos regime.
The Marcos dictatorship is historically remembered for its record of human rights abuses, particularly against political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who resisted authoritarian rule.
The four-day EDSA People Power Revolution culminated in a series of public protests against an oppressive and abusive dictatorship, as well as alleged electoral fraud committed by Marcos Sr. It resulted in the forced exile of the Marcos family and their close allies to Hawaii, where he died in 1989.
“It was a moral victory for the Filipino people; a realization of and obedience to the people’s will,” former Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan wrote in Marcos vs. Manglapus (G.R. No. 88211, September 15, 1989).
Supreme Court cases declaring certain Marcos assets as “ill-gotten” include: $658 million in Republic vs. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 152154, July 15, 2003); PLDT shares in Yuchengco vs. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 149802, January 20, 2006); US$3.37 million in Marcos Jr. vs. Republic (G.R. No. 189434, April 25, 2012); and the forfeiture of jewelry in Estate of Marcos vs. Republic (G.R. No. 213027, January 18, 2017).
Human rights violations during the Marcos regime were formally recognized through the passage of Republic Act No. 10368 in 2013, which provides reparations to victims using the allocated P10 billion recovered from Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth.
The 1987 Constitution embodied a comprehensive list of directive principles and welfare-state provisions, strengthened the Bill of Rights, instituted safeguards against a Marcos-style power grab, and restored the system of checks and balances among the three co-equal branches of government.
Forty years after the 1986 People Power Revolution, seven presidents have been elected to office: Corazon Aquino (1986-1992); Fidel Ramos (1992-1998); Joseph Estrada (1998-2001); Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010); Benigno Aquino III (2010-2016); Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022); and Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (2022 to present).
Three were children of former presidents: Arroyo, Aquino III and Marcos Jr.
Two presidents were women: Corazon Aquino and Arroyo.
Estrada was unable to complete his term and was replaced by Arroyo after being ousted during the EDSA II uprising in 2001.
Duterte became the first Philippine president to face proceedings before an international tribunal, the International Criminal Court (ICC), over his controversial war on drugs.
The Marcos family was allowed to return to the Philippines in the 1990s, enabling them to rebuild their political base in Ilocos Norte before regaining national prominence.
The election of Marcos Jr. in 2022 underscored a generational shift. Younger voters, who did not experience the martial law era firsthand, were more susceptible to — or influenced by — pro-Marcos narratives.
A systematic digital campaign on platforms such as TikTok and Facebook recast the elder Marcos’ martial law years as a “golden age” of prosperity and infrastructure, while downplaying documented human rights abuses and corruption.
This recalls the warning of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee in Olaguer vs. Military Commission (G.R. No. L-54558, May 22, 1987): “The greatest threat to freedom is the shortness of human memory.”
#NeverForget the spirit of EDSA.
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“Peyups” is the moniker of the University of the Philippines.
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Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com or call 0908-8665786./WDJ