Marcos Jr. declares people power holiday today

SWS: 62% of Pinoys say spirit of EDSA still alive

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has declared Feb. 24 a special non-working day throughout the country, applying the holiday economics principle on the anniversary of the EDSA people power revolution, the uprising that ousted his father and namesake. The declaration is contained in Proclamation No. 167 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin yesterday.

Because of the Marcos administration’s decision to adopt the holiday economics principle, the holiday will be observed a day before the 37th anniversary of the historic popular revolt.

“To enable our countrymen to avail of the benefits of a longer weekend pursuant to the principle of holiday economics, the celebration of EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary may be moved from 25 February 2023 (Saturday) to 24 February 2023 (Friday), provided that the historical significance of EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary is maintained,” the proclamation read.

The labor department was directed to issue the appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector.

The latest issuance amended Proclamation No. 42 issued on Aug. 22, 2022 and Proclamation No. 90 dated Nov. 11, 2022, which had declared Feb. 25, 2023 as a special non-working day.

The Marcos administration adopted the principle of holiday economics through Proclamation No. 90, which adjusted some holidays this year.

According to the President, the adjustments were meant to encourage domestic tourism and to give Filipinos time to be with their families.

“There is a need to adjust these holidays pursuant to the principle of holiday economics, wherein a longer weekend will help encourage domestic travel and increase tourism expenditures in the country,” Proclamation No. 90 read.

The EDSA people power revolution anniversary was one of the special non-working days listed in that proclamation but the holiday then was scheduled on Feb. 25.

The administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had adhered to holiday economics to strengthen domestic tourism. Her successor, the late president Benigno Aquino III, discontinued the policy, saying particular dates should be honored to focus on the importance of a particular holiday. Aquino was the son of the late president Corazon Aquino, who assumed office after the elder Marcos was ousted in the 1986 revolt.

Malacañang has yet to respond to queries on whether Marcos will participate in activities commemorating the 1986 revolt.??But in an interview with a news website, Ilocos Norte provincial tourism officer Ian Ree Raquel confirmed that the President and his sister Sen. Imee Marcos would be in their hometown on Feb. 24, eve of the anniversary of the EDSA uprising.??The President is expected to attend the annual Tan-ok ni Ilocano (the greatness of the Ilocano) festival at the Ferdinand E Marcos Memorial Stadium in Laoag. ?

EDSA spirit ‘still alive’

While most Filipinos think that only a few promises of the 1986 people power revolution were fulfilled, a majority still believes that its spirit is still alive more than three decades after the fall of the dictatorship, a survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

Results of the Dec. 10 to 14 survey released on Thursday showed that 62 percent of the respondents believed that the spirit of people power is still alive in each Filipino.

This is composed of 22 percent who said that it is “definitely alive” and 41 percent who said it is “somewhat alive.”

Some 21 percent of the respondents said that the spirit of EDSA is “somewhat not alive,” while 17 percent said it is “definitely not alive.”

For the first time since the election of President Marcos last year, the country will commemorate on Saturday the people power revolution that ended his father’s 21-year regime.

According to the latest survey, a majority of Filipinos believed that it is still important to commemorate EDSA. Twenty-three percent said it is “definitely still important,” while 34 percent said it is “somewhat still important.”

Another 22 percent said it is “somewhat not important anymore,” while 21 percent said it is “definitely not important.”

SWS also asked respondents of their opinion regarding the fulfillment of promises made during the revolution. Only five percent said all or nearly all, while 19 percent said most of the promises were fulfilled.

Forty-seven percent said only a few promises were fulfilled, while 28 percent said none or almost none.

The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 respondents and had an error margin of plus or minus 2.8 percent.