No ‘EDSA jump,’ no confetti drop

MANILA, Philippines - There was no “EDSA jump” and flower and yellow confetti drop in yesterday’s celebration of the 31st anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorial regime.

Former president Fidel Ramos and former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, two key personalities in the revolt, were not present in yesterday’s celebration.

Enrile was the defense minister while Ramos was the armed forces chief during the presidency of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Their defection triggered the massing of people at EDSA. Ramos was famously photographed jumping in joy upon hearing news that Marcos and his family had left Malacañang.

Since then, the “EDSA jump” had been reenacted during anniversary celebrations. But not this year.

Enrile and Ramos attended the celebration rites held at Camp Aguinaldo last Friday.

Instead of Ramos, former executive secretary Eduardo Ermita led the wreathing laying at the People Power Monument. He was accompanied by a handful of officials, including Defense Undersecretary Eduardo del Rosario, Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Año and former senator Heherson Alvarez.

There was also no shower of flowers and yellow confetti, which military helicopters used to do to add meaning to the anniversary.

Noy’s arrival

But the thin crowd gathered at the EDSA People Power Shrine yesterday morning swelled to thousands in the afternoon with the arrival of former president Benigno Aquino III. 

Aquino was wearing a black shirt instead of yellow, the color associated with the people power revolt.

In an ambush interview, Aquino told reporters that this year’s celebration of the 31st anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution is very different compared to the celebration in the past years, when the people’s victory was highly celebrated.

He also said that something needs to be done and he felt that there is a “disconnect” now. 

“Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it,” he warned.

‘Duterte is thesecond Marcos’

Across the EDSA Shrine along Ortigas, militant groups staged a protest action before noon yesterday.

They denounced the Duterte government for its failure to address the people’s problem in the countryside.

They also slammed Duterte, calling him “the second Marcos.”

Aside from the flak over the reported summary killings in his drug war, Duterte drew public outrage for allowing the remains of the dictator to be buried at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani in Taguig City.

Duterte is a friend of the Marcos family. His father was a member of the Cabinet of the late dictator. Marcos’ burial at the heroes’ cemetery was reportedly one of Duterte’s campaign promises.

Another group of rallyists held protest action at the main gate of the Libingan to demand the exhumation of the remains of the dictator.

Anti-Duterte protests was also held at Camp Aguinaldo.

Around 1,000 protesters gathered at the EDSA People Power Monument and marched to Camp Aguinaldo’s Gate 3 along EDSA around 3 p.m., forcing a military lockdown and deployment of contingents of anti-rally military personnel inside all of the camp’s gates.

The rallyists denounced the military for what they called “continuing militarization” in the countryside.

At the height of the lockdown, all gates of Camp Aguinaldo were ordered closed and placed under heavy guard.