OVP says deleted EDSA anniversary statement was posted mistakenly

MANILA, Philippines (Updated February 27, 7:19 p.m.) — The office of Vice President Sara Duterte said they mistakenly uploaded a statement urging the public to “uphold” the spirit of the EDSA People Power uprising, which it had deleted hours after it was posted on Sunday.

In a statement posted Tuesday, Duterte said she had removed the statement from her social media pages as she had not originally intended to issue a statement commemorating the 38th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.

The vice president also said that her "position" on EDSA has not changed since 2017, alluding to when she questioned why EDSA has become the "standard of freedom" after her father, former President Duterte, was criticized by a Catholic archbishop for greenlighting a hero's burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

This comes after the OVP confirmed to reporters that it took down its EDSA anniversary message that was mistakenly posted by its social media team. They also asked reporters not to be quoted on the official reason why. 

The now-deleted statement said: “As we celebrate this momentous occasion, let us remember the lessons of EDSA – the power of unity, the strength of the Filipino spirit, and the importance of standing up for what is right.”

The posting and subsequent removal of the OVP’s statement honoring “the brave souls who stood united on the streets of EDSA, fighting for democracy and freedom” triggered a few hyperpartisan vloggers to use this as content speculating deepening rifts between the vice president and President Marcos Jr. 

Some content creators pounced both on the contents of the OVP’s statement and its removal to fuel speculation that Duterte had been hinting at openly antagonizing the Marcoses.

Screengrab taken February 27, 2024, 8:05 a.m.

Screengrab taken February 27, 2024, 8:05 a.m.

Duterte said that her relationship with the president is “okay” and that they “had no problem with each other” in an interview with reporters on February 12. 

On Sunday, human rights groups and members of civil society commemorated the 38th anniversary of the series of mass demonstrations that unseated the late dictator and former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 

The Malacañang excluded the EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary from the list of holidays in 2024.

Had the OVP not removed the statement, it would have been the first time that Duterte issued a statement commemorating the EDSA People Power — widely regarded as a turning point in the Philippines’ political history and the trigger for similar democratic movements in the world.

Kabataan Partylist (KPL) said that the EDSA uprising should not be used as “ammo” by the Marcos and Duterte political camps.

“The only reason Sara Duterte would recount EDSA I positively is if it was to remind the public of the bloody Marcos dictatorship's reputation, now that their alliance is breaking up, despite her own role in rehabilitating the Marcos name,” KPL said.

“EDSA I is about the uprising of a people for justice against abusive and corrupt tyrants, which includes both Marcos Sr., her father Rodrigo Duterte, and even herself as a named operator of the drug war,” they added.