Palace hit for downplaying EDSA Day anniversary

MANILA, Philippines — Calling it “an obvious attempt to erase the victory of the people versus his father’s dictatorship,” former Bayan Muna representative and now senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño yesterday said President Marcos downplayed the anniversary of the EDSA people power revolt by declaring it a mere “special working holiday.”

Casiño, in a statement, said the EDSA people power revolts remains a testament to the power of ordinary people to hold their leaders accountable for their wrongdoing.

“Malacañang’s move to downplay this historic event is part of a larger effort to rewrite history, hoping that our people eventually forget their sovereign power,” he said.

“But whatever lies about history, the truth cannot be erased: People Power is alive and this is still the most effective way to defeat Marcos and Duterte in 2025,” Casiño said, adding the spirit of EDSA should be continuous.

“We commend the schools who have rejected Marcos’ order and declared Feb. 25 a holiday in their campuses. We support the efforts of various groups to come together in EDSA and other places on that day,” he said.

Casiño urged everyone to participate in the various events commemorating this historical milestone to protect truth and democracy.

“Like what was done in 1986, we can defeat the abuse and corruption in this period. The power is still with the people,” he said.

Catholic schools suspend classes

Catholic schools near the historic protest grounds of the popular revolt have suspended classes on Feb. 25 to resist attempts of erasing the country’s memory.

Schools under the EDSA-Ortigas (EDSOR) Consortium announced that they agreed to celebrate the 39th people power anniversary as a special non-working holiday despite Marcos’ decision to make it a working day.

The EDSOR Consortium is composed of the Immaculate Conception Academy, La Salle Green Hills, Saint Pedro Poveda College and Xavier School – schools that witnessed the popular uprising unfold at their very gates.

“Our schools have agreed to celebrate this date as a special non-working holiday despite Malacañang’s exclusion of this historical event,” the EDSOR Consortium said.

“Recognizing our responsibility as educational institutions, we remain committed to preserving the relevance of the EDSA People Power Revolution, particularly for our current and future generations of students,” it added.

The schools vowed to continue the spirit of EDSA “despite active efforts to undermine it,” under the administration of Marcos – son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. whom the uprising booted out of office in 1986.

The EDSOR Consortium called on the public to join commemorations of people power next week.

“May we invite everyone to join us in remembering that the freedoms we enjoy today were hard-won, and we owe it to the next generation that we protect and safeguard the same. May God bless the Philippines!” it said.

Earlier, Catholic universities in Manila like the University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University announced class suspensions on Feb. 25 to allow students, faculty and staff to join events commemorating the occasion.

In an interview over TeleRadyo Serbisyo, Sister Mary John Mananzan, directress of St. Scholastica’s Academy in San Fernando, Pampanga, said several Catholic schools have decided to cancel classes next Tuesday to commemorate the people power anniversary.

In a statement, the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae-Philippines Schools Network, consisting of the Maryhill School of Theology, Saint Louis College-Cebu, Saint Louis College-San Fernando City, Saint Louis University, Saint Mary’s University and the University of Saint Louis, have also suspended their classes.

Mananzan said Catholic schools have decided not to hold classes on Feb. 25 “because we can see that the President wants to take back the memory of EDSA. It was EDSA (People Power) that led to the ouster of his father.”

She also said that the date should be treated as a special holiday “to commemorate the peaceful revolution that received admiration from other countries.”

Even if the size of the crowd had noticeably dwindled over the years, Mananzan said this is precisely the reason why they want to bring back the commemoration of the historic event.

“Maybe it is because some young people do not know about it. That is why we should commemorate the event because some people were not born yet at that time,” she added.

Regents of the University of the Philippines are calling on its administrators to declare class suspension on Feb. 25.

In a letter to UP president Angelo Jimenez, the Faculty Regent, Student Regent and Staff Regent of UP asked to declare Feb. 25 a non-working holiday and an alternative learning day across the UP System.

“We remember the crucial role UP has played in resistance against the tyrannical rule of Marcos Sr., from the First Quarter Storm and the Diliman Commune to the countless martial law martyrs our very own University has produced,” the sectoral regents said.

The letter, signed by student regent Francesca Duran, faculty regent Early Sol Gadong and staff regent Marie Therese Alambra, stressed the role of UP students in toppling the dictatorship of Marcos Sr.

“Thirty-nine years has passed since the Filipino people have collectively toppled a dictator, yet we still see threats to our democracy today. In our commitment to honor and excellence in service of the people, we must make a stand as a University,” the regents said.

“The challenge remains for us to advance the spirit of EDSA People Power and continue the legacy of Renato Constantino, Voltaire Garcia, Antonio Hilario, Emmanuel Lacaba, Antonio Tagamolila, and Lorena Barros, among many other Iskolars ng Bayan who we remember as heroes today,” they added.

Returning senator candidate Bam Aquino lauded the move of top Catholic schools to suspend classes on Feb. 25, and said “I am one with them in fighting for the commemoration of the historic event that is worthy of being remembered and not forgotten.”

Aquino, who is seeking a Senate comeback under the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, is the cousin of the late former president Benigno Aquino III, who in turn is the son and namesake of the late senator Ninoy Aquino, a slain opposition figure during the Marcos dictatorship.

Meanwhile, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) yesterday said more schools should defy Marcos by allowing students to participate in the commemoration of people power.

Bayan secretary general Raymond Palatino said the stand of schools is an important intervention to counter the “ploy” of the Marcoses to distort and erase the legacy of the bloodless revolt.

Palatino urged schools and institutions not to follow Marcos’ order and hold alternative classes as well as commemorative activities in EDSA.

“We should expose and resist this malevolent state-backed disinformation. We should cancel the Marcoses, and not the commemoration of People Power,” Palatino said in a statement.

Instead of believing the revisions of the country’s history, Palatino urged the youth to listen to the testimonies of martial law survivors.

He said the EDSA People Power Monument will be an open classroom for all those who want to revisit the legacy of the revolution and to call out the abuses under the current administration. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Evelyn Macairan, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Emmanuel Tupas