The unsung hero of Edsa 1986

I was abroad during the crucial years leading to the 1986 Edsa peaceful revolution. We got our information mostly from Western media.

As far as they were concerned it was Cardinal Sin who personified the Catholic Church’s involvement in the Edsa people power revolution. That involvement was crucial. Cardinal Sin was the very visible hero who called on the crowds to shield the two military camps that became the scene of the final confrontation between the people and the Marcos dictatorship.

Little was known about the role of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu who was president of the CBCP during the elections that sparked the revolution. It was he who put together the fractious body of bishops of the Philippines that would make the difference between victory and defeat.

His work was different from Cardinal Sin. Cardinal Vidal’s was helped by his quiet and gentle demeanor as he reconciled bishops of varying political persuasions. Ironically, his work was also made possible when he made an open declaration that the Church’s relationship with the government remained one of critical collaboration. He was able to do his work without drama and noise.

The meetings among bishops were behind closed doors so we can only guess at how Cardinal Vidal chaired the meetings.

With Cardinal Sin gone, the question is often asked who in the Church could lead to unify Filipinos in the face of corrupt and immoral governance under the second Aquino government.

There is someone. He is no other than the retired Cardinal of Cebu who did not know how to speak and write Cebuano when Pope John Paul appointed him to the post. Acknowledged by those who knew his work as the unsung hero of Edsa, Cardinal Vidal is very much alive and must be coaxed to give up retirement and lead the Filipinos once again today.

I can just imagine how he chaired the emergency bishops´ meeting that issued a pastoral letter a few days before the Edsa revolution.

This was the high point of the CBCP’s role. It issued the joint pastoral letter, “We Must Obey God Rather Than Men.”

A CBCP report narrates it thus:

“Having stated that elections could become a great scandal and an offense against God, or an event of conversion and national renewal, it urged that the forces of evil bent on frustrating the people’s will should not make them succumb to cynicism, and in the conflict of interests and loyalties, it reminded them to let God’s will prevail. It assured them that the bishops stood with them.

When the Batasang Pambansa, declared Marcos winner, the Bishops drafted a post-election statement and issued it to the public on 15 February.

It declared that “a government that assumes or retains power through fraudulent means has no moral basis.” It went further.

“And in an action without precedence in the history of bishops’ conferences, it called for a peaceful, non-violent and systematic struggle to correct the wrong. The pastoral statement proved to be historic.

Clearly, quite aside from displaying its faith in the power of prayer, the CBCP stood as a moral leader of the people, showing itself as champion of democratic principles. And its celebrated statement became a catalyst of non-violent revolution.”

Here is an excerpted version of “We must obey God rather than men,” by the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of the Philippines.

“The eyes of the world are upon us, the only Christian country in Asia, as we conduct the Feb. 7 elections.

These elections can become one great offense to God and a national scandal, or they can be an event of conversion and national renewal.

It has been our sad experience that God´s will has been flagrantly transgressed in the past through the violation of our electoral process.

It is with grave concern and great sadness that we see signs of these happening again now in a concerted manner, and threatening to escalate to a level never experienced before.

We should not passively surrender to the forces of evil and allow them to unilaterally determine the conduct and the results of these elections.

The popular will is clearly shown by the interest of the vast majority of our people to participate in these elections. Banding together, we can become a massive force that will assure relatively clean and honest elections, expressive of the people´s genuine will.

We earnestly appeal, in particular, to the official guardians of the polls.

—To the teachers and public school personnel, we say: We trust in your integrity. In the eyes of the young you are upholders of truth and honesty. Please do not destroy or let others destroy your name and profession.

Many of you have courageously resisted bribes and pressures in the past. We trust you will do the same in these elections. We note with joy that many of you have exposed attempts by unscrupulous persons to bribe some of you.

—To the military, police and CHDF (Civilian Home Defense Forces): You are the guardians of peace and order. You owe your allegiance to the Flag and to our people, not to any particular individual or political group. Above all, we trust you also believe in a just and all-knowing God. We urge you to defend the life, dignity and rights of our citizenry. We ask you never to allow yourselves to be used as instruments of election violence and cheating.

—To the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and other people in the government: You are public servants. No matter who appointed you into office you are the servants of the people. Your utang na loob (favor owed someone) and loyalty should be directed, above all, to the people you are committed to serve. We urge you to resist all efforts to demean your dignity through pressures and intimidations of all sorts.

—To all who serve in the polls, we give this general reminder: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In a conflict of loyalties and interests, God´s will must prevail over unjust commands of earthly leaders.

Through our concerted effort, may Jesus truly shine out in our part of the world as “a light for revelation to the nations”(Lk 2:32). Let us all in the Spirit offer ourselves to the Father with Christ in this national exercise. May he, who is God-with-us, and Mary, his mother, the patroness of our beloved country, make their presence felt by all of us in this moment of decision.”