Gen Z teens speak up Spirit of EDSA ‘very much’ alive

Is the EDSA spirit still relevant today? These Gen Z teens think so.

Migs, a student from the University of the Philippines Diliman believes that the EDSA spirit “never really died,” as it’s not merely an event “but a testament that a peaceful revolution and active non-violence is possible.”

“Think of it as Christmas, hindi naman yearly pinapanganak si Kristo (it’s not yearly that Christ is being born) literally pero why do we commemorate it? Kasi the birth of Christ made a significant change in our lives and it is with his birth that salvation came into this world that all who once felt lost found their way, all who felt trapped in darkness found themselves in light,” She said.

“Point is: The soul of EDSA will never die because we are its soul, we are the ones who give meaning to our country’s democracy, we are the ones who painted a history that marked not only the Philippines but the whole world, and most importantly, it is etched in our hearts that it is when we unite we become stronger,” he added in a mix of English and Filipino. 

He further likened the spirit of EDSA to the spirit of Christmas.

“Yes, not everyone believes in Christ, nor his birth on 25 December. The same thing, everyone doesn’t need to believe to live the spirit of EDSA, the voice of a few is enough if it equates to a passionate love for the people,” he added. 

Lesley, a mass communication student, said the spirit of EDSA is still alive, especially among people who remember it and remind others of the events that led to it.

She, however, raised alarm on the disinformation being disseminated in social media about the EDSA revolution.

“These days, online trolls propagating fake news about the EDSA revolution are rising,” she said in Filipino.

“But at the same time, the significance of the EDSA revolution has left a mark on us and if ever the time comes that our democracy gets threatened again, the fire of the EDSA revolution will be ignited again among the people,” she added. 

It cannot be denied that Filipinos are nationalistic and passionate in standing for the best interest of the Philippines, according to Tati.

“EDSA Revolution serves as a testament that Filipinos are capable of fighting for their rights, be it in an ideal way that is peaceful or not [like] people taking ballot boxes when Marcos won again as president,” she said.

“Consequently, I can say that its spirit is still alive because it is not just a fad, it’s a topic that has been talked about ever since 1973 and the fact that Filipinos of varying generations are well aware of such an event and carry the values ​​that could be extracted from such may solidify the fact that the spirit of EDSA is still alive among the Filipino people.” 

However, for Mika dela Cruz, the lessons of the EDSA revolution are slowly being forgotten.

“For me, the spirit of EDSA is no longer alive because it is not commemorated much,” Dela Cruz said in Filipino.

“Other than that, it seems we are just repeating the past mistakes that caused EDSA. Democracy is still alive in the Philippines, but we seem to have forgotten how we got it back,” she added.

Martial law topics in class

Dina Goleta, a history teacher, said lessons about martial law are not tackled that much in class.

“There are topics on martial law in books, but information is lacking and not detailed,” she shared.

“So the teacher should not only rely on the textbook that is used in school,” she added.

Goleta also urged her fellow teachers to teach their students to research more about martial law.

Discussions about martial law occupy “fairly limited” space in textbooks, as what an educator from UP found.

Citing a study of seven textbooks, UP Assistant Professor Kerby Alvarez said of the textbooks reviewed, discussions about martial law and the people power revolution, on average, occupied seven to 11 percent and are typically taken up in two lessons.

In contrast, Alvarez noted, discussions about the reform movement and Katipunan, revolution, and Philippine-American war are taken up in five lessons, occupying 20 percent of the textbook, double the space given to martial law.

He added that the most commonly cited reasons for the declaration of martial law in textbooks are: Communist threat, protests, and violence in Mindanao.

However, he further noted, that Ferdinand Marcos’ “desire to stay in power beyond the constitutional term limit” was only cited by only two textbooks.

Importance of preserving martial law victims’ stories

Karl Patrick Suyat, co-founder of Project Gunita, bared the importance of archiving martial law materials.

Founded in 2022, Project Gunita is an academic research organization primarily focused on countering historical distortion. 

As long as there are youth who remember the EDSA revolution, its spirit will continue to live on, he added.

“Because we are still around, we still speak up, we continue to put ourselves at stake in the name of democracy,” Suyat said.

“Even with the son of the ousted dictator as president, we will -—and we should — continue to infuse the spirit of EDSA into ourselves as we continue our people’s historic march to genuine national liberation,” he concluded.