The 1986 EDSA Revolt etched its mark on global history as among the few instances of a bloodless revolt that generated a wellspring of hope for Filipinos, but the seeds of change were planted way before through student activism.
EDSA was the stretch of road where a throng congregated to be a civilian buffer and protect a group of mutineers led by then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and then-Philippine Constabulary chief Fidel Ramos from advancing government troops.
The fire in the hearts of protesters clamoring for more democratic space was lit on the campuses during the martial law years.
Among the brave voices at the time who joined the peaceful resistance was Leandro Alejandro, a student leader at the University of the Philippines.
Alejandro held a lot of promise as a voice of the Filipino youth as he made every street parliamentarian, even the veterans of the mass movement, listen whenever he spoke. He began as a student activist by leading a movement against the pernicious tuition increases, with protests held almost daily in Mendiola in 1984.
His courage in exposing the truth inspired many students also to make a stand, unmindful of the consequences.
He was killed in 1987, ambushed in his car near the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan office in Cubao, where he served as secretary general. Alejandro was 27 years old.
His death came shortly after he had announced plans for a general nationwide strike against militarism at the time.
Another firebrand who awakened activism in the youth was Edgar Jopson, a leader of the First Quarter Storm in 1970. In 1979, he was arrested and tortured, but he was able to escape from jail after ten days and returned to the underground movement in Mindanao.
He was captured by the military on 19 September 1982. What happened next was sketchy, as some reports indicated he died in an interrogation room after refusing to cooperate with the military. Jopson was 34 years old.
The two student leaders exemplified the zeal of the youth in upholding the liberty that Filipinos had known.
Other young activists like Liliosa Hilao, Ma. Leticia Pascual-Ladlad, Emmanuel Lacaba, Archimedes Trajano, Juan Escandor, Ishmael Quimpo Jr. and Maria Lorena Barros were either slain or went missing after leading the protest movement against martial law.
Spirit of 1986
Those who lived through that part of Philippine history that culminated with the overthrow of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. still believe the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution should be commemorated.
Rogelio Fortun, 59, a lineman at the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, said: “What happened at EDSA was important for the country. For me and my peers, the lessons and events of People Power will remain alive. But based on what I’ve noticed nowadays when smartphones are popular and young people are free, they may not want to know about past events. I hope that even in the future, subjects about this should be maintained in schools.”
Senator Risa Hontiveros, a former school activist now a leader of the opposition, said the legacy of the revolt remains alive.
In a chance interview on Friday at the Holy Mass for the National Day of Prayer and Action at the EDSA Shrine, Hontiveros underscored that the lessons of the historical event have been shared with every Filipino.
“The EDSA People Power Revolution was a unique and unforgettable part of history. So all of us Filipinos, not only we who are in the opposition, but even those who are not part of the opposition, cannot escape from it,” she said.
“As the opposition, we carry the tradition of fighting against any form or element of dictatorship, martial law, or disregard for human rights,” she added.
“So it’s the same spirit since 1986 up to now, 2024. We are nearing the midterm elections in 2025, it still animates us.”