In celebration of the anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution and ahead of the May polls, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas urged students to speak out about politics.
"Do not believe those who say the Church should keep quiet about political matters. Politics without God; politicians disregarding [the] Ten Commandments; politicians stealing our government funds; politicians exempting themselves from the law — they are evil. We must remove that kind of politics from the nation," Villegas said on Tuesday, 25 February.
"Be involved and be engaged in matters that affect the nation and the world. For us Christians, it is a sin to live only for yourself. Be men and women for others," Villegas added.
As the first Rector of the EDSA Shrine which was built in 1989, the senior prelate said he also wants the youth to remember that the EDSA People Power is "about the Catholic faith seeking justice for victims of human rights abused."
"It was the Catholic faith proclaiming Veritas (which in English means truth) because dissent was being suppressed and truth was being hidden," the archbishop said.
"It was the Catholic faith fighting corruption in government and challenging those in authority of peace but behind the scenes were human abuses, suppression of dissent and massive corruption." he added.
Under the government of President Ferdinand Marcos, Villegas continued, "there was a curtain of peace and progress but behind the scenes were human abuses, suppression of dissent and massive corruption."
He also urged students to "Google" why Marcos Sr. was "regarded as the most controversial figure in Filipino history."
The elder Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law on 21 September 1972, claiming then-President did so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Party of the Philippines.
The 14-year Martial Rule is remembered for the Marcos administration's record of human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, and farmers, among others.
Data from Amnesty International and human rights monitoring entities believe that the Marcos dictatorship was marked by 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000 documented tortures, 737 disappearances, and 70,000 incarcerations.
Marcos Sr. was ousted by the EDSA People Power Revolution on 25 February 1986, when at least two million Filipino civilians trooped to the stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue to call for the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.
"In February 1986, we your grandparents stood for four days at EDSA in Quezon City between Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. We prayed the rosary, gave food to the soldiers who were dispatched to disperse us. We sang Bayan Ko and slept on the street," Villegas, who was then a 25-year-old aide of Cardinal Jaime Sin, recalled.
"On February 25, 1986 the dictator and thief Ferdinand Marcos fled to Hawaii in exile. We ousted the dictator without violence and bloodshed," he added.
Villegas stressed that the EDSA People Power "was not about a political group ousting another political group," but rather "the Catholic faith of peace and love bringing a social revolution without bloodshed."
"The whole world admired us Filipinos then. It was a moment of glory. The Filipino greatness was hailed by the world. It was faith seeking justice. It was faith making peace."
Several schools in Metro Manila commemorated on 24 February the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution through various activities.
Yellow ribbons and banners were displayed at the Adamson University (AdU) campus in Manila, underscoring the important role "colors and symbols" play in the country's political and social landscapes.
"At the height of the Martial Law, yellow was the color of resistance," AdU President Rev. Fr. Daniel Franklin E. Pilario.
The University also held a solidarity walk and a candle-lighting ceremony on Monday night to honor the "spirit of unity, democracy, and freedom that shaped the nation."
Colegio de San Juan de Letran, on the other hand, conducted academic discussions on the People Power Revolution of 1986 and a seminar on combating disinformation and preserving historical truth.
De La Salle University mounted a video projection on the St. La Salle Hall in Taft highlighting the events that led to the three-day bloodless uprising.
Meanwhile, students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) staged a mass walkout, joining several institutions to observe the historical event.
Both the PUP and the PLM refused to suspend classes on 25 February. This, despite several schools and universities nationwide announcing class suspensions in commemoration of the EDSA People Power Revolution.
In Proclamation No. 727, released on 31 October 2024, Malacañang included the EDSA anniversary in the 2025 holiday list but removed its non-working status.