[OPINION] Making sense of People Power when you’re a young, modern individual

By Kristine Gaile Gregorio, Joshua Tristan Montecillo and Jack Russel Ramos

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The year 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of the People Power Revolution. It was one of the most glorious moments in Philippine history. From February 22-25, 1986, millions of brave Filipinos, bearing only their standpoint and firm beliefs, gathered in Epifanio Delos Reyes Avenue (EDSA) and manifested fearlessness to overthrow the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The People Power was a monumental battle of reclaiming the freedom and liberty of the people from the claws of tyranny. For 20 years, it surely felt like every move would turn into being held captive, as the ruler only had the motive to keep everything under his control.

The socio-political landscape during Martial Law was very much different from what we are used to now. The revolution itself gave an example of what we can do as individuals and as a country when faced with oppression. It also showed people the opposite of good governance that led to massive counts of deaths and human rights violations.

Learning this event in our History classes made us understand that the government does not hold power over its citizens, as without people there is no government. As citizens, we must be the first to heed the calls of our community when faced with injustices and human rights violations.

A revolution happens in hopes of reform in the system. A flawed system will remain when no changes are made. The clamor of the oppressed, persecuted, and abused have been heard that day. Yet, the system has never changed: issues of human rights violations and the dearth of freedom, especially our minorities endure, are still prevalent.

The revolution was described as a “peaceful protest” but the state of the Philippines during this period was far off from peaceful. This was a time when people were hungry for a change in the country's leadership, while Marcos himself was a dictator who was supported by the United States.

"Martial law’s damages include 75,730 human rights victims. This figure can be further broken down into 70,000 political detainees, 34,000 torture victims, 398 Desaparecidos, and 3,240 salvage (or summary execution) victims," according to Nathan Gilbert Quimpo and Susan Quimpo, co-authors of “Subversive Lives: A Family Memoir of the Marcos Years.”

There were 3,257 extrajudicial killings during the Marcos regime. Most of them were students and youth leaders who haven’t even reached their 30s. The youth at this time used their creativity to speak out against Martial Law. They started writing critical essays, protest songs, and books. Liliosa Hilao, a student of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, wrote essays like "The Vietnamization of the Philippines" and "Democracy is Dead in the Philippines.” In April 1973, soldiers beat her up and took her to Camp Crame after a dispute with a soldier. It was reported that Hialo died by suicide, but her body showed signs of repeated tortures from all over her body. Hilao was one out of many people who did everything they could to attain democracy.

The revolution is not about one person but rather the collective power of the masses. It is up to us to continue fighting for the freedom that was once forbidden to them. To progress is to acknowledge that the people must unite to resist injustices and follow-through by influencing and educating others.

Things are changing after the first People Power Revolution. But as time passes by, Filipinos' trust in the democratic system has been decreasing. Even as our rights are being abused, no one seems to object.

In the Duterte administration, it seems like history is repeating itself from the closing down of ABS-CBN last May 5, 2020—just like when Marcos ordered the shutdown of ABS-CBN in 1972—up to the continuous “red-tagging” by both administrations. Our urban poor, farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, among others, are still being harassed; their group leaders and organizers are killed. The reclamation of freedom does not end in 1986, and as the youth, we must support our fellow Filipinos with these ongoing calls for equality and freedom.

That's why remembering the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution will always matter for us, youth, more than ever. Even though today's youth have not lived during those times, it is in our hands how we will make sense of these historical events. We must study our country's history, learn its implications on the present, and continually stand against those who exploit us.

We have the eyes of a young, modern individual but that does not mean we cover our sight from the past. We must understand the past so that we can look and move forward.