People Power Revolution

People Power Revolution
Date February 22—25, 1986
(3 days)
Location Philippines, primarily Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Metro Manila
Caused by
Goals Removal of Ferdinand Marcos from office
to put Corazon Aquino as the President
Resulted in

Revolutionary victory

Parties to the civil conflict

Philippines People Power Revolutionaries
Political groups:

Military defectors:

Others:

  • Anti-Marcos civilian protesters

Religious groups:

Militant groups:

Lead figures
Number
2,000,000+ protestors
No figures available

The People Power Revolution (also known as the EDSA Revolution and the Philippine Revolution of 1986) was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in the capital city of Manila from February 22–25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and alleged electoral fraud. The nonviolent revolution led to the departure of President Ferdinand Marcos along with his totalitarian regime and the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.[4][5]

It is also referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during the demonstrations following the assassination of Filipino senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.[4][5] in 1983. It was widely seen as a victory of the people against the 20-year running authoritarian, repressive[6] regime of then president Ferdinand Marcos, and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world".[7]

The majority of the demonstrations took place on a long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, more commonly known by its acronym EDSA, in Metro Manila from February 22–25, 1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila and the CBCP President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, the Archbishop of Cebu. The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition from years of corrupt governance by Marcos, culminated with the departure of the dictator from Malacañang Palace to Hawaii. Corazon Aquino was proclaimed as the President of the Philippines after the revolution.[8]

Background and history

President Ferdinand Marcos

Ferdinand E. Marcos was elected president in 1965, defeating incumbent Diosdado Macapagal by a margin of 52 to 43 percent. During this time, Marcos was very active in the initiation of public works projects and the intensification of tax collections. Marcos and his government claimed that they "built more roads than all his predecessors combined, and more schools than any previous administration".[9] Amidst charges from the opposition party of vote buying and a fraudulent election, Marcos was decisively reelected in the Philippine presidential election, 1969, this time defeating Sergio Osmeña, Jr. by 61 to 39 percent.

Marcos' second term for the presidency was marred by allegations by the opposition Liberal Party of widespread graft and corruption. According to leftists who rioted during the First Quarter Storm, the increasing disparity of wealth between the very wealthy and the very poor that made up the majority of the Philippines' population led to a rise in crime and civil unrest around the country. These factors, including the formation of the New People's Army in 1968 on Mao Zedong’s birthday,[10] a Communist insurgency supported financially and militarily by China,[11] and a bloody Muslim separatist movement in the southern island of Mindanao led by the Moro National Liberation Front backed by Malaysia and allegedly by Liberal Party senator Ninoy Aquino,[12][13] contributed to the rapid rise of civil discontent and unrest in the country.

On September 23, 1972, citing more than 15 bombing incidents and an intensifying armed communist insurgency,[14] Marcos declared martial law by virtue of presidential proclamation (Proclamation No. 1081). The Washington Post revealed in 1989 that the Communists plotted the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing to provoke Marcos into cracking down on his opponents and thus allow them to increase recruits which were needed to make use of weapons and financial aid coming from China.[11]

Martial law was ratified by 90.77% of the voters during the Philippine Martial Law referendum in 1973 though the referendum was marred by controversy. Primitivo Mijares, author of the book The Conjugal Dictatorship,[15] alleged that there could not have been any valid referendum held from January 10 to 15, 1973 as the 35,000 citizen's assemblies never met and that voting in municipalities was by show of hands.[16][17] The referendum had the following results:

Ratification %
YES 90.77
NO 9.23

As Marcos was barred from running for a third term as president in 1973, it was alleged that he issued Martial Law to extend his term in office. Rigoberto Tiglao, former press secretary and a former communist incarcerated during the martial law,[18] argued that the liberal and communist parties provoked martial law imposition.[19] A constitutional convention, which had been called for in 1970 to replace the Commonwealth era 1935 Constitution, continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of martial law. The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of government from presidential to parliamentary and allowing Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973. The constitution was approved by 95% of the voters in the Philippine constitutional plebiscite.

Through this decree and after obtaining voters consent through the plebiscite, Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the Philippines' military and the authority to suppress and abolish the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and many other civil liberties. Marcos also dissolved the Philippine Congress and shut down media establishments critical of the Marcos government.[20]

Marcos also ordered the immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics. Among those arrested were Senate President Jovito Salonga, Senator Jose Diokno, and Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., who Marcos linked with the Communists[21] and the man who was groomed by the opposition to succeed Marcos after the 1973 elections.[20] On November 25, 1977, the Military Commission charged Aquino along with his two co-accused, NPA leaders Bernabe Buscayno (Commander Dante) and Lt. Victor Corpuz, guilty of all charges and sentenced them to death by firing squad.[22] While interviews with former Communist leaders revealed that Aquino provided the Communists with firearms, training area, and lodging [23] to oust Marcos, he denied being a communist leader or a communist himself. In his undelivered speech upon his return from the US on August 21, 1983, Aquino said, "I was sentenced to die for allegedly being the leading communist leader. I am not a communist, never was and never will be." [24]

In 1978, while still in prison, Aquino founded his political party, Lakas ng Bayan (abbreviated "LABAN"; English: People's Power) to run for office in the Interim Batasang Pambansa (Parliament). All LABAN candidates lost, including Ninoy himself and LABAN Candidate Alex Boncayao, who later was associated with Filipino communist death squad Alex Boncayao Brigade[25][26] that killed U.S. army captain James N. Rowe.

With practically all of his political opponents arrested and in exile, Marcos' pre-emptive declaration of martial law in 1972 and the ratification of his new constitution by more than 95% of voters enabled Marcos to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to power for another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. In a Cold War context, Marcos retained the support of the United States through Marcos' promise to stamp out communism in the Philippines and by assuring the United States of its continued use of military and naval bases in the Philippines.[20]

Assassination of Ninoy Aquino

Despite warnings from the military and other pro-Marcos groups, Ninoy Aquino was determined to return to the Philippines. Asked what he thought of the death threats, Ninoy Aquino responded, “The Filipino is worth dying for.”[27]

At that time, Ninoy's passport had expired and the renewal had been denied. Ninoy therefore acquired a plan to acquire a fake passport with the help of Rashid Lucman,[28] founder of the Bangsamoro Liberation Front, who trained about 30,000 Bangsamoro guerrillas as MNLF fighters and sent the top 90 moro guerrillas to Malaysia to train guerrilla warfare under the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces and the Gurkha Regiment.[29] The passport carried the alias Marcial Bonifacio (Marcial for martial law and Bonifacio for Fort Bonifacio, his erstwhile prison).[30] Aquino became allies with Rashid Lucman as he supported the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao against the government. [29]

On August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the United States, Aquino was assassinated as he disembarked from a Taiwanese commercial flight at the Manila International Airport (which was later renamed in Aquino's honor).[31] His assassination shocked and outraged many Filipinos, most of whom had lost confidence in the Marcos administration. The event led to more suspicions about the government, triggering non-cooperation among Filipinos that eventually led to outright civil disobedience.[32] It also shook the Marcos government, which was by then deteriorating due, in part, to Marcos' worsening health and ultimately fatal illness (lupus erythematosus).

The assassination of Ninoy Aquino caused the Philippines economy to deteriorate even further, and the government plunged further into debt. By the end of 1983, the Philippines was in an economic recession, with the economy contracting by 6.8%.[33]

In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, led by Chief Justice Enrique Fernando, to launch an investigation into Aquino's assassination. Despite the commission's conclusions, Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and rejected the government's views on the assassination.

Pablo Martinez, one of the convicted suspects in the assassination of Ninoy Aquino Jr. confessed that it was Ninoy Aquino Jr.'s relative, Danding Cojuangco, cousin of his wife Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, who ordered the assassination of Ninoy Aquino Jr. while Marcos was recuperating from his kidney transplant.[34]

Calls for election

On November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government,[35] Marcos suddenly announced that a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule, to legitimize his control over the country.[36] The snap election was legalized with the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg. 883 (National Law No. 883) by the Marcos-controlled unicameral congress called the Regular Batasang Pambansa.[37]

The growing opposition movement encouraged Ninoy Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, to run for the presidency. United Opposition (UNIDO) leader, Salvador Laurel, who earlier filed his candidacy as an official UNIDO candidate for the presidency, gave way to Cory after a political deal which was later reneged by Cory after the election. According to Salvador Laurel's diary, Cory offered Laurel that he would be her Prime Minister, that she would step down in two years, that Laurel would name 30 percent of the Cabinet, that she would appoint the remaining 70 percent after close consultations with Laurel.[38] Salvador Laurel eventually ran as Cory Aquino's running mate for vice-president under the United Opposition (UNIDO) party. Marcos ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentino as his running mate under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party.[37]

1986 election

The elections were held on February 7, 1986.[36] The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner. The final tally of the COMELEC had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. On the other hand, based on returns of 70% of the precincts[39] of the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), an accredited poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos' 7,053,068 votes.[40]

This electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results, culminating in the walkout of 35 COMELEC computer technicians to protest the deliberate manipulation of the official election results to favor Ferdinand Marcos. The walkout was considered as one of the early "sparks" of the People Power Revolution.

However, not known to many, the walkout of computer technicians was led by Linda Kapunan,[41] wife of Lt Col Eduardo Kapunan, a leader of Reform the Armed Forces Movement, which plotted to attack the Malacañang Palace and kill Marcos and his family,[42] leading some to believe that the walkout could have been planned with ulterior motives.[43]

Because of reports of alleged fraud, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) through Cardinal Ricardo Vidal issued a statement condemning the elections. The United States Senate also passed a resolution stating the same condemnation.[36] US president Ronald Reagan issued a statement calling the fraud reports as "disturbing" but he said that there was fraud "on both sides" of the Philippine election.[44][45] In response to the protests, COMELEC claimed that Marcos with 53 percent won over Aquino. However, NAMFREL countered that the latter won over Marcos with 52 percent of votes.[46]

On February 15, Marcos was proclaimed by COMELEC and Batasang Pambansa as the winner amidst the controversy. All 50 opposition members of the Parliament walked out in protest. The Filipino people repudiated the results, asserting that Aquino was the real victor. Both "winners" took their oath of office in two different places, with Aquino gaining greater mass support. Aquino also called for coordinated strikes and mass boycott of the media and businesses owned by Marcos' cronies. As a result, the crony banks, corporations, and media were hit hard, and their shares in the stock market plummeted to record levels.

Despite common knowledge that Marcos cheated the elections, some claim that Marcos is the one that had been cheated by Namfrel because his Solid North votes were transmitted very late to the tabulation center at the PICC. Two Namfrel volunteers were hanged in Ilocos. The Ilocano votes were enough to overwhelm Cory’s lead in Metro Manila and other places.[43] Former Asiaweek Correspondent Tony Lopez said that after Cory took over the presidency, Namfrel made recount of the votes cast in the February snap election. The tally still showed Marcos was the real winner but only by 800,000 votes.[47]

Vidal's declaration

Cardinal Vidal, after the result of the snap election, issued a declaration in lieu of the Philippine Church hierarchy stating that "a government does not of itself freely correct the evil it has inflicted on the people then it is our serious moral obligation as a people to make it do so." The declaration also asked "every loyal member of the Church, every community of the faithful, to form their judgment about the February 7 polls" and told all the Filipinos, "Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to repair the wrong. The wrong was systematically organized. So must its correction be. But as in the election itself, that depends fully on the people; on what they are willing and ready to do."[48]

Events

Aborted military coup

Appalled by the bold and apparent election irregularities, the Reform the Armed Forces Movement set into motion a coup attempt against Marcos. The initial plan was for a team to assault Malacañan Palace and arrest Ferdinand Marcos. Other military units would take over key strategic facilities, such as the airport, military bases, the GHQAFP in Camp Aguinaldo, and major highway junctions to restrict counteroffensive by Marcos-loyal troops.

Lt. Col. Gregorio Honasan was to lead the team that was going to assault Malacañan Palace.

However, after Marcos learned about the plot, he ordered their leaders' arrest,[49] and presented to the international and local press some of the captured plotters, Maj. Saulito Aromin and Maj. Edgardo Doromal.[50]

Threatened with their impending imprisonment, Defense Minister Enrile and his fellow coup plotters decided to ask for help from then AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Fidel Ramos, who was also the chief of the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine National Police). Ramos agreed to resign from his position and support the plotters. Enrile also contacted the highly influential Cardinal Archbishop of Manila Jaime Sin for his support.

At about 6:30 p.m. on 22 February, Enrile and Ramos held a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, where they announced that they had resigned from their positions in Marcos' cabinet and were withdrawing support from his government. Marcos himself later conducted his own news conference calling on Enrile and Ramos to surrender, urging them to "stop this stupidity".[51]

Sin's appeal

After Cardinal Vidal's condemnation of the snap election's fraudulent result, a message was aired over Radio Veritas at around 9 p.m., Cardinal Sin exhorted Filipinos in the capital to aid rebel leaders by going to the section of EDSA between Camp Crame and Aguinaldo and giving emotional support, food and other supplies. For many this seemed an unwise decision since civilians would not stand a chance against a dispersal by government troops. Many people, especially priests and nuns, still trooped to EDSA.[51]

Radio Veritas played a critical role during the mass uprising. Former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo stated that: "Without Radio Veritas, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to mobilize millions of people in a matter of hours." Similarly, a certain account in the event said that: "Radio Veritas, in fact, was our umbilical cord to whatever else was going on."[52]

Rising mass support

During the height of the revolution, an estimated three hundred to five hundred thousand people filled EDSA from Ortigas Avenue all the way to Cubao. The photo above shows the area at the intersection of EDSA and Boni Serrano Avenue, just between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.

At dawn, Sunday, government troops arrived to knock down the main transmitter of Radio Veritas, cutting off broadcasts to people in the provinces. The station switched to a standby transmitter with a limited range of broadcast.[52] The station was targeted because it had proven to be a valuable communications tool for the people supporting the rebels, keeping them informed of government troop movements and relaying requests for food, medicine, and supplies.[51]

Still, people came to EDSA until it swelled to hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians. The mood in the street was actually very festive, with many bringing whole families. Performers entertained the crowds, nuns and priests led prayer vigils, and people set up barricades and makeshift sandbags, trees, and vehicles in several places along EDSA and intersecting streets such as Santolan and Ortigas Avenue. Everywhere, people listened to Radio Veritas on their radios. Several groups sang Bayan Ko (My Homeland),[53] which, since 1980, had become a patriotic anthem of the opposition. People frequently flashed the 'LABAN' sign,[54] which is an "L" formed with their thumb and index finger. 'Laban' is the Tagalog word for 'fight', but also the abbreviation of Lakas ng Bayan, Ninoy Aquino's party.

After lunch on February 23, Enrile and Ramos decided to consolidate their positions. Enrile crossed EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo to Camp Crame amidst cheers from the crowd.[51]

In the mid-afternoon, Radio Veritas relayed reports of Marines massing near the camps in the east and LVT-5 tanks approaching from the north and south. A contingent of Marines with tanks and armored vans, led by Brigadier General Artemio Tadiar, was stopped along Ortigas Avenue, about two kilometers from the camps, by tens of thousands of people.[55] Nuns holding rosaries knelt in front of the tanks and men and women linked arms together to block the troops.[56] Tadiar asked the crowds to make a clearing for them, but they did not budge. In the end, the troops retreated with no shots fired.[51]

By evening, the standby transmitter of Radio Veritas failed. Shortly after midnight, the staff were able to go to another station to begin broadcasting from a secret location under the moniker "Radyo Bandido" (Outlaw Radio, which is now known as DZRJ-AM). June Keithley, with Angelo Castro, Jr., was the radio broadcaster who continued Radio Veritas' program throughout the night and in the remaining days.[51]

More military defections

At dawn on Monday, February 24, the first serious encounter with government troops occurred. Marines marching from Libis, in the east, lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators, who quickly dispersed. Some 3,000 Marines then entered and held the east side of Camp Aguinaldo.[51]

Later, helicopters manned by the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippine Air Force, led by Colonel Antonio Sotelo, were ordered from Sangley Point in Cavite (South of Manila) to head to Camp Crame.[57] Secretly, the squadron had already defected and instead of attacking Camp Crame, landed in it, with the crowds cheering and hugging the pilots and crew members.[51]

A Bell 214 helicopter piloted by Major Deo Cruz of the 205th Helicopter Wing and Sikorsky S-76 gunships piloted by Colonel Charles Hotchkiss of the 20th Air Commando Squadron joined the rebel squadron earlier in the air. The presence of the helicopters boosted the morale of Enrile and Ramos who had been continually encouraging their fellow soldiers to join the opposition movement.[51] In the afternoon, Aquino arrived at the base where Enrile, Ramos, RAM officers and a throng were waiting.[57]

The capture of Channel 4

At around that time, June Keithley received reports that Marcos had left Malacañang Palace and broadcast this to the people at EDSA. The crowd celebrated and even Ramos and Enrile came out from Crame to appear to the crowds. The jubilation was however short-lived as Marcos later appeared on television on the government-controlled Channel 4,[58] (using the foreclosed ABS-CBN facilities, transmitter and compound) declaring that he would not step down. It was thereafter speculated that the false report was a calculated move against Marcos to encourage more defections.[51]

During this broadcast, Channel 4 suddenly went off the air. A contingent of rebels, under Colonel Mariano Santiago, had captured the station. Channel 4 was put back on line shortly after noon, with Orly Punzalan announcing on live television, "Channel 4 is on the air again to serve the people." By this time, the crowds at EDSA had swollen to over a million. (Some estimates placed them at two million.)[51]

This broadcast was considered the "return" of ABS-CBN on air because this was the time when former employees of the network were inside the complex after 14 years of closure since Marcos took it over during the Martial Law of 1972. Radio Bandido ended broadcasting that afternoon, while Radio Veritas resumed transmissions, this time from the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center's radio studios.

In the late afternoon, rebel helicopters attacked Villamor Airbase, destroying presidential air assets. Another helicopter went to Malacañang, fired a rocket, and caused minor damage. Later, most of the officers who had graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) defected. The majority of the Armed Forces had already changed sides.[51]

Marcos orders not to shoot

Prior dialogues to stop the revolution have not succeeded with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which was led by General Fabian Ver. AFP was ready to mount an air strike on the day but was halted under orders of Marcos.

The actual dialogue on TV between Marcos and then AFP Chief of Staff General Fabian Ver went as follows:[59]

Fabian Ver: The Ambush there is aiming to mount there in the top. Very quickly, you must immediately leave to conquer them, immediately, Mr. President.
Ferdinand Marcos: Just wait, come here.
Ver: Please, Your Honor, so we can immediately strike them. We have to immobilize the helicopters that they've got. We have two fighter planes flying now to strike at any time, sir.
Marcos: My order is not to attack. No, no, no! Hold on. My order is not to attack.
Ver: They are massing civilians near our troops and we cannot keep on withdrawing. You asked me to withdraw yesterday-
Marcos (interrupting): Uh yes, but ah... My order is to disperse without shooting them.
Ver: We cannot withdraw all the time...
Marcos: No! No! No! Hold on! You disperse the crowd without shooting them.

Two inaugurations

Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as the 11th president of the Philippines on February 25, 1986 at Sampaguita Hall (Now Kalayaan Hall).

On the morning of Tuesday, February 25, at around 7 a.m., a minor clash occurred between loyal government troops and the reformists. Snipers stationed atop the government-owned Channel 9 tower, near Channel 4, began shooting at the reformists. Many rebel soldiers surged to the station,[51] and a rebel S-76 helicopter later shot the snipers at the broadcast tower. The troops later left after a V-150 was blocked by the crowd assembled.

Later in the morning, Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino[60] in Greenhills, about a kilometer from Camp Crame. She was sworn in as President by Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee, and Laurel as Vice-President by Justice Vicente Abad Santos. The Bible on which Aquino swore her oath was held by Aurora Aquino, the mother of Ninoy Aquino. Attending the ceremonies were Ramos, who was then promoted to General, Enrile, and many politicians.[51]

Outside Club Filipino, all the way to EDSA, hundreds of people cheered and celebrated. Bayan Ko (My Country, a popular folk song and the unofficial National Anthem of protest) was sung after Aquino's oath-taking. Many people wore yellow, the color of Aquino's campaign for presidency.

An hour later, Marcos held the inauguration at Malacañang Palace. Loyalist civilians attended the ceremony, shouting "Marcos, Marcos, Marcos pa rin! (Marcos, Marcos, still Marcos!)". On the Palace balcony, Marcos took the Oath of Office, broadcast by IBC-13 and GMA-7.[51] None of the invited foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony, for security reasons. The couple finally emerged on the balcony of the Palace before 3,000 KBL loyalists who were shouting, "Capture the snakes!"[61] Rather tearfully,[61] First Lady Imelda Marcos gave a farewell rendition of the couple's theme song – the 1938 kundiman "Dahil Sa Iyo" (Because of You) – chanting the song's entreaties in Tagalog:

Because of you, I became happy
Loving I shall offer you
If it is true I shall be enslaved by you
All of this because of you.[61]

The broadcast of the event was interrupted as rebel troops successfully captured the other stations.[51]

By this time, hundreds of people had amassed at the barricades along Mendiola, only a hundred meters away from Malacañang. They were prevented from storming the Palace by loyal government troops securing the area. The angry demonstrators were pacified by priests who warned them not to be violent.[51]

Marcos' departure

At 3:00 p.m. (EST) on Monday, President Marcos phoned United States Senator Paul Laxalt,[61] asking for advice from the White House. Laxalt advised him to "cut and cut clean",[62] to which Marcos expressed his disappointment after a short pause. In the afternoon, Marcos talked to Minister Enrile, asking for safe passage for him, his family, and close allies such as General Ver.

At midnight PHT, the Marcos family boarded a United States Air Force HH-3E Rescue helicopters[6] and flew to Clark Air Base in Angeles City 83 kilometres north of Manila.

At Clark Air Base, Marcos asked to spend a couple of days with his family in Ilocos Norte, his native province. Aquino vetoed the request. President Reagan privately derided Cory Aquino for denying Marcos a last look at his home province.[63]

The deposed First Family and their servants then rode US Air Force DC-9 Medivac and C-141B planes to Andersen Air Force Base in the north of the United States territory of Guam, then flying to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii where Marcos finally arrived on February 26. US Government documented that they entered the USA with millions of dollars in jewelries, gold, stocks, and cash [7][51]

When news of the Marcos family's departure reached civilians, many rejoiced and danced in the streets. Over at Mendiola, the demonstrators stormed the Palace, which was closed to ordinary people for around a decade. Despite looting by some angry protesters, the majority wandered about inside through rooms where national history was shaped, looking at objects extravagant and mundane that the Marcos clan and its court had abandoned in their flight.

In other countries, people also rejoiced and congratulated Filipinos they knew. CBS anchorman Bob Simon reported: “We Americans like to think we taught the Filipinos democracy. Well, tonight they are teaching the world.” [51]

Some authors say that Marcos prevented civil war similar to the Syrian Civil War by refusing to use guns notwithstanding the insistence of his top general, and by agreeing to step down during the EDSA revolution.[64][65] The White House said "By leaving the Philippines at a critical juncture in his nation's history, Mr. Marcos permitted the peaceful transition to popular, democratic rule."[66]

Aftermath

Immediately after assuming the presidency, President Corazon Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3, which established a revolutionary government. Aquino unilaterally abolished the parliament Batasang Pambansa which was duly elected in the Philippine parliamentary election, 1984. She abolished the 1973 Constitution that was in force during martial law, and instead promulgated the provisional 1986 Freedom Constitution, pending the ratification of a new Constitution by the people. This allowed Aquino to exercise both executive and legislative powers until the ratification of the new Philippine Constitution and the establishment of a new Congress in 1987.[67] Aquino also removed several government officials perceived as loyalists to the Marcos administration and appointed cabinet members and officers who will be loyal to current administration.[68][69]

The establishment of the new government was met with criticism among the contemporaries of Cory Aquino. Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma vehemently opposed the move citing, "to call the government “revolutionary” and abolish the Batasan Pambansa was to behave no better than Dictator Marcos". Homobono Adaza, who brokered for United Democratic Opposition (UNIDO) which supported Aquino, criticized Cory for betraying the agreement of the UNIDO political coalition that the type of government of Marcos would be continued and that Cory shall only be a ceremonial President. He also addressed Cory's lack of experience on the position, saying "everyone knew that Cory had no knowledge of how to run the country, and she admitted this." [70] A letter by resigned former secretary of foreign affairs and former vice-president Salvador Laurel, as well as critics thereafter, reported controversies by involving closest relatives and giving unfair privileges within the new administration.[71][72][73]

The revolution had an effect on democratization movements in such countries as Taiwan and South Korea; other effects include the restoration of the freedom of the press, abolition of repressive laws under a dictator's regime, adoption of a new constitution, and the subordination of the military to civilian rule, despite several coup attempts during the Aquino administration.[74]

The revolution provided for the restoration of democratic institutions after thirteen years of authoritarian rule and these institutions have been used by various groups to challenge the entrenched political families and to strengthen Philippine democracy.[75]

Legacy

The People Power Revolution has inspired a call for change of government through peaceful protests rather than bloodshed. Many similar revolutions have followed since then, taking the Philippine example of nonviolent regime change, such as that in East Germany and many other former Soviet Bloc countries.[76]

The EDSA Revolution Anniversary is a special public holiday in the Philippines. Since 2010, the holiday has been a special non-working holiday.[77][78]

10-peso coin commemorating the People Power Revolution

Rampant corruption during the term of President Joseph Estrada led to the similar 2001 EDSA Revolution leading to his resignation from the presidency.

Timeline

See also

Similar events

References

  1. 1 2 Sison, Jose Maria (2006-02-24). "'It was a convergence of various forces'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  2. ↑ Araullo, Carolina (2000-03-02). "Left was at Edsa and long before". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  3. ↑ Suarez, Miguel (1986-02-26). "Marcos' last days filled with errors and humiliation". The Evening Independent. Associated Press. Retrieved 2014-08-04. She (Imelda) did not tell the crowd by that time all but a few thousand soldiers and officers, mostly those in the presidential guard, had by then turn against Marcos to join Mrs. Aquino's "people power" revolution
  4. 1 2 "The Original People Power Revolution". QUARTET p. 77. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  5. 1 2 "Yellow ribbons turn up on EDSA". ABS-CBN. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  6. 1 2 Halperin, Jonathan J. (1987), The Other Side: How Soviets and Americans Perceive Each Other, Transaction Publishers, p. 63, ISBN 0-88738-687-3, retrieved 2007-12-03.
  7. 1 2 Kumar, Ravindra (2004), Mahatma Gandhi at the Close of Twentieth Century, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., p. 168, ISBN 81-261-1736-2, retrieved 2007-12-02.
  8. ↑ "Edsa people Power 1 Philippines". Angela Stuart-Santiago. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  9. ↑ Lacsamana 1990, p. 187
  10. ↑ http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/149
  11. 1 2 "EX-COMMUNISTS PARTY BEHIND MANILA BOMBING". The Washington Post. August 4, 1989.
  12. ↑ Ateneo De Manila. 'The Malaysian Plot Marcos, Sabah, and the Origins of Moro Secessionism' p.69. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  13. ↑ Philippine Star. "‘Ninoy vowed to drop Sabah claim to get KL support vs Marcos’". Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  14. ↑ http://www.gov.ph/1972/09/21/proclamation-no-1081/
  15. ↑ ABS-CBN News. "' The press in a straitjacket'".
  16. ↑ Schirmer, Daniel B.; Shalom, Stephen Roskamm (1987). The Philippines Reader: A history of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship and Resistance. South End Press.
  17. ↑ Celoza, Albert F. (1997). Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: The Political Economy of Authoritarianism. Praeger Publishers.
  18. ↑ Inquirer (September 21, 2011). "Demystifying Marcos’ Martial Law Regime".
  19. ↑ Manila Times (September 23, 2015). "Liberal and Communist parties provoked martial law imposition".
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Bibliography

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