Filipino youth urged to remember EDSA 1

Twenty years seems a long time for many young Filipinos who have no memory of the historic five-day EDSA revolt that ousted a dictator on Feb. 25, 1986.

The Philippines introduced the bloodless people power to the world, which eventually became the model for other countries to follow in removing oppressive leaders through peaceful means.

Recalling those fateful days of Feb. 22-25, 1986, former Manila mayor Mel Lopez said on the first day of the revolt, he had a speaking engagement at the Far Eastern University in the University Belt.

It was at this time that he received two separate calls from Salvador Laurel, who will later become vice president, and from Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma.

They informed him that then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos had broken away from President Ferdinand Marcos and were staging a coup.

Lopez, at that time United Nationalist Democratic Organization-Liberal Party chairman and national treasurer, said every year, Filipinos, young and old alike, must refresh their memory on what transpired 20 years ago.

"It is only fitting to recall the significance of the revolution, from Feb. 22 to 25, 1986 to the lives of Filipinos, especially at this time when personal interests are given more importance than the welfare of the people," he said.

Lopez said this lesson is now just as relevant, especially during these turbulent times, and Filipinos must remember to put the nation’s interest and welfare of the country above their personal interests.

"It is just the freedom fighters in EDSA, together with the mammoth crowds who gathered at EDSA, passing the torch of freedom to the next generation to keep the fire burning — the sense of unity and purpose, freedom, healing and the sweet feeling of love for country," he said.

"We can only achieve meaningful reform through unity, cooperation and self-sacrifice. This is the true spirit of EDSA.

"I was witness to an awesome spectacle. People from all walks of life started to gather at EDSA," he recalled.

Lopez said the today’s generation must be told that millions of people heeded the call of Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin through Catholic-run Radio Veritas to go to EDSA and protect Enrile and Ramos and other rebel soldiers.

"The world watched as Filipinos armed only with rosaries, crucifixes, religious images, flowers, candies and cigarettes succeeded in stopping soldiers from advancing forward," he said.

"I told myself the Marcos family is finally reaping what they sow... The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), through Radio Veritas, declared that ‘Marcos has lost the moral authority to rule.’"

On the revolt’s second day, the number of defecting soldiers had increased, and they began receiving reports that the Marine commander Brig. Gen. Artemio Tadiar had refused to obey orders to shoot at rebel troops.

Lopez said later that the soldiers decided to retreat without firing a shot when people defiantly remained at EDSA between Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame in Quezon City.

"I told myself, God hears our prayers and sacrifices to win this struggle for freedom," he said. "This is not just people power but the power of God."

On Feb. 24, Lopez was with the people when they reclaimed the Maharlika Broadcasting Systems-Channel 4 government TV station on Bohol Avenue in Quezon City.

On the last day, Corazon Aquino took her oath as the seventh President of the Philippines at Club Filipino before Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee.

In the evening, they learned that the Marcos family had escaped to Hawaii, and Lopez was tasked to proceed to Malacañang Palace to safeguard it from vandals.

Some witnesses informed Lopez that some of the firearms from the Malacañang armory had been stolen by a group of militants.

When they entered the bedroom of Marcos, Lopez recalled, "The room stank of blood and urine probably because of frequent kidney treatments. There were two dialysis machines and large medicine cabinets set against the walls. On the floor, on either side of the bed, were two foam mattresses presumably used by doctors or a medical aide at night."

Marcos died in exile in Hawaii in September 1989.