MANILA, Philippines – The celebration of the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution is as important as other national holidays to remember historical events and heroes that helped the country achieve freedom, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said looking back at the EDSA people power revolt 30 years after it happened, would make everyone learn from the past.
Coloma told radio station dzRB that the dark days of martial law and how the people regained freedom through those who risked their lives should not be trivialized and described as mere politics of revenge.
Vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Filipinos, particularly the youth, already knew what transpired under the 20-year rule of his late father and namesake former President Ferdinand Marcos.
Marcos said people were now more concerned about coping with their daily needs and not martial law.
The senator said the martial law issue was the same propaganda the administrations had been trying to sell in the past three decades.
Marcos said people knew that during the administration of his late father, the country exported rice and there was no problem in unemployment, traffic and electricity.
These pronouncements from the senator were in contrast with the accounts of those who suffered during the Marcos regime, including the family of President Aquino.
Coloma said it was not true that the EDSA 30 celebration would be divisive and try to pin down personalities associated with the dark days of martial law.
“The important issues here are freedom and justice,” Coloma said.
“The EDSA People Power revolution became the answer of the Filipino nation to the suppression of their freedom and making a travesty of democracy by imposing martial law,” Coloma said.
In a speech at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 16 where he had a working visit, Aquino recounted how their family lived in exile in Boston in the early 1980s “as a dictator by the name of Ferdinand Marcos lorded it over our home country.”
Aquino said his late father and namesake, Benigno Jr. was then a senator who was imprisoned for seven years and seven months for opposing the late dictator before being finally allowed to come to the United States to undergo a heart bypass operation for his heart condition.
In 1983, the President’s father was assassinated upon his return to Manila and three years after that, the Filipino people toppled the dictatorship in a peaceful revolution and installed his mother, Corazon as president.
“As our nation’s new president, she stood before the United States Congress to recount the Philippine story, and to signal our nation’s commitment to the restoration of the freedoms that the dictatorship had denied us,” Aquino said.
“As an aside, perhaps I should say that my father once said, pity the person who follows Mr. Marcos. He would be expected to solve all problems created in practically no time,” the President said, adding that his father never imagined it would be his mother who would be called to solve the conundrum.
Coloma said those who participated in the EDSA revolution stood up to serve justice to the thousands of victims of violence and atrocities during martial law.
“Like other countries, we value the heroism and greatness of the Filipino race,” Coloma said.
He said this was the same as remembering the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and others who fought for the country’s freedom and independence.
Coloma also cited the Day of Valor where unknown Filipino heroes were honored as another example.
“We were united in EDSA in 1986 based on principles of democracy, freedom and justice. That is the true spirit of our EDSA 30 celebration,” Coloma said.
Coloma said as a philosopher noted, “those who don’t learn from the lessons of history are doomed to repeat those mistakes.”
No dramatic change
On the other hand, a political analyst said that 30 years after the EDSA People Power revolt, there was no dramatic change in the society with poverty still prevalent.
“The same problems during martial law are still here, it appears that there is no martial law narrative,” said University of Philippines (UP) professor Popoy de Vera.
He said there is no monument about martial law years. Instead what people see are the major infrastructure projects – highways, bridges, hospitals and the Light Rail Transit – that were constructed during the martial law years and the people, particularly the youth, relate these landmarks of the gains of the country during the martial law years.
“Its difficult to demonize martial law because poverty is still prevalent and people realize that it is not the root cause of the problem we are facing now,” De Vera said.
No work, no pay
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that the “no work no pay” policy should apply on the EDSA People Power revolt anniversary on Feb. 25.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz noted that Malacañang had declared Feb. 25 as a special non-working holiday to give people time to commemorate the EDSA People’s Power revolt.
Under the pay rules, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) payment on this special non-working day, the no work, no policy shall apply.
But for those who would choose to work, they shall be paid an additional 30 percent of their daily rate on the first eight hours of work.
Overtime or work in excess of eight hours shall be paid an additional 30 percent of hourly rate on said day.
An employee who will work on supposed rest day, shall be paid an additional 50 percent of daily rate. – With Perseus Echeminada, Mayen Jaymalin