MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte, in a message read by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, said that the spirit of the EDSA revolution should inspire heroism.
"EDSA lives on and its spirit should continue to inspire heroism in all of us for the greater glory of God and country," Medialdea read during a commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the People Power Revolution held in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
The celebration was highlighted by an awarding ceremony to honor various sectors that played a crucial role in EDSA such as the military, the religious, and the citizens, including two Citizenship Movement Awardees.
Valiente Namion, a wheelchair attendant in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who found and turned over P100,000 to its owner, and former beauty queen Ms. Sabrina Artadi, who devoted her life to feeding street children, were given awards during the celebration.
Duterte wrote that the sectoral awardees show the "transformative powers" of EDSA to inspire Filipinos to build a better future for the Philippines.
"True heroes, after all, are found in everyone of us who do, with each passing day, our quiet work for nation building," Medialdea read.
The president added in his message that EDSA was not just a cry against years of abuse and corruption but a demonstration of the power that a united citizenry could muster.
"It is a movement of, by, and for the Filipino people brought about by their profound love for the country," Medialdea read.
The People Power Revolution ousted President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 after decades of an administration that critics say was marked by numerous human rights abuses and corruption but that loyalists remember as the so-called golden era of the Philippines.
Duterte ordered Marcos' remains buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City last year.