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EDSA Revolution and the Philippine Revolution of 1986

(also known as The People Power Revolution) was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that began in 1983 and culminated in 1986. The methods used amounted to a sustained

campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. This case of nonviolent revolution led to the

departure of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country's democracy. It is also referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during the demonstrations and the arrival of then assassinated Benigno

Aquino, Jr.

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 Metropolitan Manila from February 22–25, 1986 and involved over two million Filipino civilians as well as

several political, military, and including religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila. 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 the United States state of Hawaii. Corazon Aquino was proclaimed as the legitimate President of the Philippines after the

revolution.

Background and history

Ferdinand Marcos was Elected President in 1965

Pres. Ferdinand Marcos

Ferdinand Marcos was elected president in 1965, defeating incumbent Diosdado Macapagal by a very slim margin. 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".Amidst charges of vote buying and a fraudulent election, Marcos was

reelected in1969,this time defeating Serg.Osmeña Jr.

Marcos's second term for the presidency,

however, was marred by allegations of widespread graft and corruption. The increasing disparity of wealth between the very wealthy and the very poor which made up the majority of the country's population led to the rise of crime and civil

unrest around the country. These factors, including the formation of the New People's Army, an armed revolt that

called for the redistribution of wealth and land reform in the Philippines, and a bloody Muslim separatist movement in the

southern island of Mindanao led by the Moro National Liberation Front, contributed to the rapid rise

of civil discontent and unrest in the Philippines.

Declaration Martial Law

Marcos was barred from running for a third term as president in 1973, so on September 23, 1972, by virtue of a

presidential proclamation (No. 1081), he declared martial law, citing rising civil disobedience as justification. Through this

decree, Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the Philippine military and the authority to suppress 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. Marcos also ordered the

immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics

New Constitution By Marcos

Marcos would also abolish the Philippines' 1935 constitution and replace it with a parliamentary-style government (the Batasang Pambansa) along with a new constitution written by him. 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 through political coercion, enabled him to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to power for

another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. At a period when the Cold War was still a political reality, Marcos's

dictatorship ensured the political support of the United States by 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.

Regime in the Philippines

Throughout his presidency, Ferdinand Marcos had set up a regime in the Philippines that would give him ultimate

power over the military and the national treasury, as well as set up a personality cult. Following his declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972,[9] Marcos immediately began to embezzle money from the government and order the military to kill any political competition against him. As a

result, the Philippine economy began to tumble greatly, and the nation lost its competitive edge in Southeast Asia

The Jurisdiction of Pres.Marcos

 Marcos ordered many stores, hotels, schools, universities,

and other public places to place his Presidential picture prominently or otherwise their facilities were shut down. The media frequently "eulogized" Marcos through public

service announcements and news reports. Even billboard advertisements across the country were replaced with his propaganda messages on justifying his regime's actions.

Marcos also ordered the shutdown and takeovers of businesses in the country, then put these businesses either

under the government control, or under the control of Marcos cronies.

Plans of Ninoy Aquino

In 1983, Ninoy Aquino announced of his plans to return to the Philippines as a challenge to Marcos's

government. Because of the plans of Ninoy, Marcos with the military and the police, disillusioned junior officers

silently conveyed their grievances. This led to the formation of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement

(RAM), Soldier of the Filipino People (SFP), and Young Officers Union (YOU). RAM, which was led by graduates of the Philippine Military Academy Class of

'71, Lt. Col. Gringo Honasan, Lt. Col. Victor Batac, and Lt. Col. Eduardo Kapunan, found an ally and mentor in

the Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile.

Assasination of NinoyDespite 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.”On August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the United States,

Aquino was assassinated as he was disembarking from a commercial flight at the Manila International Airport (which was later renamed in

Aquino’s honor). 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. It also shook the Marcos government, which was by then deteriorating due, in part, to Marcos’ worsening health and ultimately fatal illness (lupus erythematosus).

Caused of Ninoy’s Assasination

The assassination of Ninoy Aquino caused the economy of the country to

deteriorate even further, and the government plunged further into debt. By the end of 1983, the country was

bankrupt, and the economy contracted by 6.8%.

Commission of Marcos

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. By October, Marcos appointed a second commission to

investigate. The commission’s final report accused the military of staging a conspiracy to assassinate Aquino, dealing another major blow to the already collapsing

government.

Snap Election 

The elections were held on February 7, 1986. 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.

Issues After the Election On the other hand, the final tally 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 points. This electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results, culminating in the walkout of 29 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. The walkout also served as an affirmation to allegations of vote-buying, fraud, and tampering of election results by

the KBL.Because of reports of alleged fraud, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a

statement condemning the elections. The United States Senate also passed a resolution stating the same condemnation. US president

Ronald Reagan issued a statement calling the fraud reports as "disturbing". 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.

ProclamationOn 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 refused to accept the results, however, 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's cronies. As a result, the crony banks, corporations, and media were hit hard, and their shares

in the stock market plummeted to record levels.

Innagurations:1st Innaguration

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.Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino. 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. 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.

2nd Innaguration

Innagurations:

Marcos conducted the inauguration at Malacañang. Loyalist civilians attended the ceremony, shouting "Marcos, Marcos, Marcos pa rin! (Marcos, Marcos, still Marcos!)". On

the Palace balcony, Marcos took his oath as the President of the Philippines, broadcast by IBC-13 and GMA-7. None of the invited foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony for

security reasons. The couple finally stepped out in the balcony of the palace in front of the 3000 KBL loyalists who were shouting to Marcos: "Capture the snakes!. First Lady Imelda Marcos sang one more rendition of "Dahil Sa Iyo" (Because of You), the couple's theme

song, rather tearfully, chanting her trademark Tagalog entreaties:Because of you I attained happiness

I offer you my loveIf it is true that you shall enslave me

All of this is because of you.After the inauguration, the Marcos family and their close associates hurriedly rushed to

leave the Palace. The broadcast of the event was also cut off as rebel troops successfully captured the other stations.

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.

Marcos’ Departure

Marcos arrived on February 26.When the news of Marcos' departure reached the

people, many rejoiced and danced in the streets. Over at Mendiola, the demonstrators were finally able to enter Malacañang Palace, long denied to Filipinos in the past

decade. Looting by overly angry protesters occurred, but mostly people wandered inside, looking at the place where all the decisions that changed the course of

Philippine history had been made.

10-peso coin commemorating the

People Power Revolution

Presidency of Corazon Aquino

In her speech before the United States Congress which she

delivered on September 18, 1986, seven months after assuming the presidency,

President Aquino observed that "ours must have been the cheapest revolution ever".

Despite the People Power Revolution, however, the democratic political system of the Philippines is still fragile and flawed.

Patronage politics

Still hinders the development of democracy and natural resources are now mostly

exploited by Western nations.

Revolution

The Revolution had an effect on democratization movements in places such as Taiwan and South Korea; other effects

include the restoration of the freedom of the press, adoption of a new constitution, and the subordination of the military to civilian rule, despite several coup attempts during

the Aquino administration.

The 1987 Constitution's : “Bill of Rights”The 1987 Constitution's third article titled the "bill of

rights" is guaranteed by the state, but in most instances is largely ignored by the government, and is viewed by

foreign sources as "coded to ensure tyranny of the majority". The revolution also provided the restoration of democratic institutions after thirteen years of authoritarian rule. These institutions have been used

by political and social actors to challenge the entrenched political clans and develop Philippine democracy,

however.

DemocracyWhile democracy as Filipinos knew it was restored, rampant

corruption plagued the government that led to the 2001 EDSA Revolution, which deposed President Joseph Estrada. While the Marcoses fled, and the former president died in exile in

Hawaii, his wife Imelda later won a seat in the House of Representatives and his son Ferdinand Jr. was

elected senator in 2010. The revolution may have had brought changes to the leadership in the country, the power "remained concentrated among a small rich elite." The perception of the

public about the Marcos regime is changing, with some people "focusing on his investments, infrastructure and public works,

rather than the human rights abuses and claims of lavish personal spending."

CritisismThere are political writers, especially those living outside of

Metro Manila, who associate the People Power Revolution with what they term as "Imperial Manila" because it was believed that Marcos was toppled from his position without the participation of Filipinos living in areas outside of the capital region. In an article

published in Philippine Daily Inquirer, Amando Doronila wrote that:People power movements have been an Imperial Manila

phenomenon. Their playing field is EDSA. They have excluded the provincianos from their movement with their insufferable

arrogance and snobbery, ignoring the existence of the toiling masses and peasants in agrarian Philippines.