VP Robredo: Be vigilant, remember the lessons of People Power

MANILA, Philippines — The 1986 People Power Revolution should be a reminder for Filipinos to guard against abuse and against threats to the country's democracy, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.

 

Robredo, who marked the 32nd anniversary of EDSA in Naga City, said in a statement that the spirit of the revolution that ousted Ferdinand Marcos, should be celebrated every day.

 

"We should not be complacent and allow the darkness that we went through (during the Marcos dictatorship) to come back. That is why EDSA should be in our hearts every day," the vice president, who has been the target of criticism by supporters of the Duterte administration and of former Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said.

 

The younger Marcos is in the middle of an electoral protest against Robredo, whom he claims cheated him in the 2016 elections.

 

The commemoration of People Power has been simpler and has been downplayed in recent years because of resentment and disenchantment over a perceived lack of progress and development under post-Marcos administrations and because of nostalgia for the martial law years, which some continue to preach were the best years for the Philippines.

 

"The commemoration of EDSA is not just a celebration of what happened 32 years ago but a look back at all the lessons that we have learned from what happened during the People Power Revolution," the vice president said in Filipino in the released statement.

 

"It is a reminder that power is in the hands of ordinary Filipinos. A reminder for us to always be vigilant," she also said.

 

Parallel commemorations and masses were held in Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Romblon, Siargao, Iloilo and Cebu, Robredo's office said.

 

This was done to emphasize that the EDSA Revolution was "a fight for the entire Philippines, a fight for every Filipino," Robredo said.