PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
1985-2010:
TURNING POINTS
that shook the country
FIRING LINE
Government troops take cover as they exchange fire with members of the Abu Sayyaff
trapped inside a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan, on June 2, 2001.
By Juan V. Sarmiento Jr.
SURVIVING ATTEMPTS at seizing power
and fighting off moves to hold on to it. En-
during a lack of power (the kind that gener-
ates light).
Searching for peace and a better life for
one’s family. Suffering from nature’s fury,
man’s folly and cruelty, and a culture of im-
punity. Enjoying the wonders of technology
and competition. Losing a democracy icon.
These were among the turning points that
marked our lives over the past 25 years.
1. Edsa 1 startles world
It was a shining moment for Filipinos. They
startled the world for four days of people pow-
er from Feb. 22-25, 1986 that ended the 20-
year rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. With-
out firing a single shot. The Filipino People
Power phenomenon became the model of
peaceful revolt wherever in the world people
were yearning to be free. For instance, Nelson
TELLING THE FILIPINO STORY TO THE WORLD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010 1
Mandela has publicly credited the Philippines
for his own triumph in South Africa.
Faced with the people-power driven rev-
olution and thinning ranks of supporters in
the military, Marcos and his family fled
Malacañang for Hawaii.
Corazon Aquino, widow of Sen. Benigno
Aquino Jr., Marcos archrival, who was slain
on the tarmac of Manila’s international air-
port in 1983 upon his return from exile was
sworn in as the duly elected president in
the “snap” polls earlier that year.
2. 1987 Constitution and Cha-cha
Ratified in a referendum in 1987, it re-
placed the 1973 Constitution that dictator
Ferdinand Marcos used to keep himself in
power. The charter has survived moves by
all three successive Presidents after Cora-
zon Aquino to have it overhauled ostensibly
to extend their stay in Malacañang.
A vigilant citizenry staged massive street
TURNING/ V2