EDSA at 40: The Unfinished Revolution

On 25 February 2026, the Philippines will mark a milestone that feels both like a lifetime ago and a recurring dream: The 40th anniversary of the People Power Revolution.

Four decades have passed since a sea of yellow and white converged on a highway, proving to the world that the “Unbreakable Thread” of Filipino courage could stop tanks with nothing but rosaries, flowers, and their collective roar for dignity.

On Wednesday, as the fighter jets perform their commemorative flybys and the speeches echo from the People Power Monument, we must ask ourselves a hauntingly relatable question: Have we traded the “Dictator’s Decree” for the “Digital Deception”?

The “Modern Rogue” of 2026 no longer needs to declare Martial Law to control a population. They don’t need to shut down newspapers when they can simply flood our feeds with enough noise, apathy, and “rage bait” to make us stop caring about the truth. This is the ultimate test of our theme, The Conscience of the Code.

Today’s battle for freedom isn’t fought on the asphalt of a highway; it’s fought in the palm of your hand.

Forty years ago, the struggle was against a visible, singular monster. Today, the monster is a ghost in the machine — an algorithm that rewards divisiveness and hides the “pork giniling” of our national budget behind a wall of digital complexity.

Radical Accountability in this milestone year means reclaiming the spirit of ’86 and applying it to the “Code” of today. We must be as vigilant against the “hunger crisis” and the epidemic of “fake graduates” as our parents were against the cronies of old.

We often hear that EDSA “failed” because the same names still dominate our politics. But that is a misunderstanding of what happened on that highway. EDSA wasn’t a magic wand; it was an invitation. It was the moment we became the ultimate “Checks and Balances.” To say it failed is to say we have stopped trying.

In 2026, our Radical Accountability must manifest as “Digital People Power.” When we see the 2026 national budget being siphoned off into vague “consultancy fees” while our public schools remain in shambles, we must use our connectivity to demand receipts. When we see history being airbrushed by foreign-backed bots, we must be the “Guardians of Truth” that the Cavalier’s Code demands.

The EDSA anniversary is not a museum piece to be dusted off once a year; it is a living mandate. The “Unbreakable Thread” of our national character is what allows us to look at a broken system and believe we can fix it.

This February, as we remember the four days that changed our world, let us resolve to finish the revolution. Not with violence, but with the relentless pursuit of transparency. Let us ensure that the children “baptized” into this digital world grow up in a Republic where their data is protected, their leaders are honest, and their future is not for sale.

The revolution isn’t over — it has just moved to a different battlefield. Let’s make sure the Filipino soul remains undefeated.