The four clusters of good citizenship values:

Maka-Diyos
Makatao
Makabayan
Makakalikasan
The basic values of the Filipino citizen who is maka-Diyos: Faith in Almighty God,
respect for life, order, work, and concern for the family and future generations
Faith in Almighty God: Jesus said to them "Have faith in God. Whoever says to the
mountain, "Be lifted up and thrown to the sea", and does not doubt in his heart but
believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for home." Mark 11:22-23
"For just as a body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James
3:26
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today; let us move
forward with strong and active faith. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Read this:
The Significance of the EDSA Revolution
By Balita | February 29, 2020
Rodel J. Ramos
The EDSA revolution was the trigger that started a worldwide peaceful revolt that
overthrow dictators and communist governments all over the world. The world
witnessed the bravery of the Filipinos who toppled down a fearful dictator Ferdinand
E. Marcos from power. This was followed by Haiti under another dictator, then
Poland under communism and later the walls of East Berlin that divided Germany
into the East and the West. The East was a communist state. Romania also toppled
down its communist leader. Later, even the most powerful communist country
U.S.S.R. collapsed. The world was never the same again. The Filipino people
became the beacon, the light in the dark world that spark the downfall of dictators
and communism.
This was the second time that the Philippines was used by the Almighty God to
unchain the world via a peaceful revolution. The first was when Dr. Jose Rizal was
executed in Bagong Bayan (Luneta) by the Spanish colonizers at the urging of the
Catholic Church and our people revolted against Spain. We were the first country in
the world to overthrow a colonizer during those times. We became the inspiration
and a model of Mahatma Gandhi in his peaceful resistance against the British
Empire to free India and Pakistan.
The bravery of the Filipinos
 The Filipinos are known for their bravery. When powerful nations in Europe were
looking for the Spice Islands and discovering nations to conquer and enslave, the
landed in the Philippines. They immediately asked the Datus and Sultans to pay
homage to the Spanish King. Lapu Lapu of the Island of Mactan refused. To show
how powerful the weapons and skills of their soldiers in war, they challenged him in
battle. It was their cannons, guns, and swords with metal body shield against the
bolos, spears, bow and arrow of the Lapu Lapu warriors. In that confrontation,
Ferdinand Magellan was slain in the shores of Mactan with many of his men. It took
them another 50 years before they can conquer the Philippines with the return of
Legaspi.
The brave Muslim warriors of Mindanao were never conquered by the Spanish
conquistadors or the well-armed Americans. They even invented the .45 calibre
pistol to stop the Muslim rebels from advancing even when they were shot and
wounded. The people of Ifugao also never bowed to the Spaniards. They only
became friendly with the Americans.
During the Korean War, one dark evening while the Americans, Koreans and other
United Nation forces retreated from the thousands of advancing North Koreans and
the Chinese Communists, less than 1,000 Philippine solders of the 10th Battalion
Combat Team (BCT) stood their ground. In the morning, they saw more than 40,000
dead Chinese and North Korean soldiers in front of them. McArthur when learning
about this proudly said, “Give me 10,000 Filipino Soldiers and I will conquer the
world.”
What happened in EDSA
What the world did not know what it was the disgruntled leaders of Ferdinand
Marcos who were fed up with the way Imelda Marcos and General Fabian Ver were
handled the Government and the way they were treated that they planned to revolt
against Marcos. It was Gringo Honasan and his RAM Boys, Juan Ponce Enrile and a
few other Army Officers who planned the takeover. Marcos was very sick then and
was bed ridden. Marcos discovered this plot and was ready to suppress the revolt.
He ordered General Ver to attack Camp Crame and Aguinaldo where they stood
their ground.
Enrile asked the help of Fidel V. Ramos and he joined them. He also called on
Cardinal Sin to help them overthrow the dictator. Cardinal Sin made an
announcement in Radio Veritas which was a powerful radio station owned by the
Catholic Church asking the people to gather in EDSA to protect Enrile, Ramos and
others in Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo. They were joined by the Agapito
Aquino, brother of the opposition leader, Ninoy Aquino who was murdered on his
return to the Philippines. Imelda was suspected to have ordered it. This triggered
large rallies and an election where Cory Aquino run against Pres. Ferdinand Marcos
for the Presidency. There were lots of cheating during this voting and even
government people walked out to protest them.
The Army was ordered to attack the rebels Honasan, Enrile, Ramos and their
followers and was on their way to Crame and Aguinaldo. However, because of the
many people, the tanks can’t get thru. The people blocked their way. Nuns and priest
were there offering flowers, food and drinks to the soldiers begging them not to
attack the people. Ver asked for permission to attack Crame with cannons but
Ferdinand Marcos refused.
Later, Marcos ordered General Sotelo, Chief of the Air Force to attack the rebels.
However, the General upon seeing the millions of people in EDSA, asked to join
Ramos and Enrile with their helicopters landing in Camp Aguinaldo and their jets
protecting them from above. This was the turning point of that event. The soldiers on
the ground did not fire on the people and later joined them. It was called a miracle.
While all these were happening, Cory Aquino was said to be in a retreat in Cebu
or somewhere in the Visayas.
The U.S. Government was alerted of what was happening and offered a way out
for the Marcos family to get out of the country to save their lives and prevent
violence. Marcos was told by a U.S. Senator Solar to “cut clean” meaning no
violence. They were offered to be taken to Hawaii. U.S. helicopters came to fetch
them. That night, they left and the people took over the Malacañang grounds.
Enrile, Ramos and the RAM boys with a previous agreement with Cardinal Sin
and demanded by the people offered to install Cory Aquino as President of the
Republic of the Philippines.
Cory’s Aquino’s term
Cory Aquino took over. She freed Jose Ma. Sison who was in prison and left for
overseas. She also recognized Commander Dante, offering him a position in the
government in land reform to encourage the NPAs to surrender. Instead, the leftist
grew more and got bolder controlling labour unions all over the country, collected
revolutionary tax among the farmers and businesses in the country side, otherwise
they will burn their equipment and rallied the students against the government. They
terrorized the countryside and people left for the cities. They also had influence
among jeepney and bus driver’s union, the media and fund raised overseas to
support their rebellion.
However, corruption in the government continued unabated. Enrile, Honasan, and
Ramos established private corporations and owned big properties all over the Island.
Enrile controlled the Port in Cagayan and smuggled cars, motorcycle and other stuff.
The RAM boys tried a number of times to put down the government and even
ambushed the son Pinoy Aquino. His driver died and a bullet is still in his body. Fidel
Ramos was Secretary of Defense at this time and protected the Aquino Regime.
Cory asked the governors and mayors to resign and she replaced them with her
own people. She put Peping Cojuangco in-charge of appointing officials but he and
Tintin Cojuangco were known to be corrupt as well. President Aquino forgot to
change the judges and fiscals who were corrupt and were appointed mostly by
Marcos and Enrile. That is why Imelda and her children were never persecuted and
won every case, their hidden and stolen wealth were never found or returned. Cases
lasted for 15 years or more. This is also one of the reasons why only the rich won in
court. It became a milking cow of judges, fiscals and lawyers.
She changed the Constitution and went back to the old system of Government. All
the Marcos projects were discontinued including the Bataan Nuclear Plant. This
should have lowered the price of electricity in the country. Instead there was a crisis
after this and prices went sky high relying on oil and gas creating too much pollution.
President Aquino returned ABS CBN and the Meralco Electric Plant to the Lopezes
and other properties sequestered by the Marcos government and given to their
cronies. She tried to get back some of the hidden wealth of the Marcoses and their
cronies which were in the name of their relatives and friends. Marcos created a lot of
corporations all over the world to confuse people and hide his stolen wealth. The
Marcoses had buildings and houses in America and elsewhere as well and bank
deposits. It was rumoured that their wealth came from corruption, cornering the gold
production of some mines in the Philippines and from some Yamashita Treasures
their team found or stolen like the Golden Buddha in Baguio.
-Faith can move mountains. If faith in God worked miracles for us during our EDSA
experiences, it can also work in our everyday lives.
-The kind of faith we professed at EDSA was one that drove us into action (faith in
action). Our faith which moved us to act, was the single biggest factor that made
EDSA work, one that indeed "moved mountains".
-Faith in God is an innate trademark Filipino value. All of us have it.
-Example: This pandemic crisis, Filipinos consoled themselves and lifted each
other's spirit by praying together with an extra ordinary faith to get through such
crisis. Such an attitude clearly defines the Filipinos unique regard for the value of
faith in the Almighty.
-We should take pride in our faith and use it to improve our lives.
-Our faith is a call to conversion; from graft and corruption, indolence, our desire for
convenience rather than hard work, growing adherence to materialism at the
expense of the loss of other values and integrity, and our sense of helplessness
when confronted with adversity.