EDSA PEOPLE POWER

REVOLUTION
LANCE ARTHUR P. BERBERABE
EDSA PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION
 HISTORY OF EDSA PEOPLE POWER
• The Philippines was praised worldwide in 1986, when the so-called bloodless
revolution erupted, called EDSA People Power’s Revolution. February 25, 1986
marked a significant national event that has been engraved in the hearts and minds of
every Filipino. This part of Philippine history gives us a strong sense of pride especially
that other nations had attempted to emulate what we have shown the world of the true
power of democracy. The true empowerment of democracy was exhibited in EDSA by
its successful efforts to oust a tyrant by a demonstration without tolerance for violence
and bloodshed. Prayers and rosaries strengthened by faith were the only weapons that
the Filipinos used to recover their freedom from President Ferdinand Marcos’s iron
hands. The Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) stretches 54 kilometers, where the
peaceful demonstration was held on that fateful day. It was a day that gathered all
Filipinos in unity with courage and faith to prevail democracy in the country. It was the
power of the people, who assembled in EDSA, that restored the democratic
Philippines, ending the oppressive Marcos regime. Hence, it came to be known as the
EDSA People Power’s Revolution.
• The revolution was a result of the long oppressed freedom and the life threatening
abuses executed by the Marcos government to cite several events like human
rights violation since the tyrannical Martial Law Proclamation in 1972. Former
Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.In the years that followed Martial Law started
the suppressive and abusive years–incidents of assassination were rampant,
particularly those who opposed the government, individuals and companies alike
were subdued. The Filipinos reached the height of their patience when former
Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Sr. was shot and killed at the airport in August
21, 1983, upon his return to the Philippines from exile in the United States.
Aquino’s death marked the day that Filipinos learned to fight. His grieving wife,
Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino showed the Filipinos and the world the strength and
courage to claim back the democracy that Ferdinand Marcos arrested for his
personal caprice. Considering the depressing economy of the country, Ninoy’s
death further intensified the contained resentment of the Filipinos.
• In the efforts to win back his popularity among the people, Marcos held a snap presidential
election in February 7, 1986, where he was confronted with a strong and potent opposition,
Corazon Aquino. It was the most corrupt and deceitful election held in the Philippine history.
There was an evident trace of electoral fraud as the tally of votes were declared with
discrepancy between the official count by the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and the
count of NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections). Such blatant corruption in that
election was the final straw of tolerance by the Filipinos of the Marcos regime. Former
Defense Minister Juan Ponce EnrileThe Fidel V. Ramosdemonstration started to break in the
cry for democracy and the demand to oust Marcos from his seat at Malacañang Palace. The
revolt commenced when Marcos' Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and the Armed Forces
Vice-Chief of Staff command of Fidel V. Ramos, both withdrew their support from the
government and called upon the resignation of then President Marcos. They responsibly
barricaded Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo and had their troops ready to combat against
possible armed attack organized by Marcos and his troops. The Catholic Church
represented by Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin along with the priests and nuns called for the
support of all Filipinos who believed in democracy. Radyo Veritas aired the message of
Cardinal Sin that summoned thousands of Filipinos to march the street of EDSA. It was an
empowering demonstration that aimed to succeed peacefully with the intervention of faith.
Nuns kneeled in front of tanks with rosaries in their hands and uttering their prayers.
• With the power of prayers, the armed marine troops under the command of Marcos withdrew
from the site. Celebrities expressed their support putting up a presentation to showcase the
injustices and the anomalies carried out by the Marcos administration. Finally, in the morning
of February 25, 1986, Corazon Aquino took the presidential oath of office, administered by the
Supreme Court Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee at Club Filipino located in San Juan.
Aquino was proclaimed as the 11th President of the Republic of the Philippines. She was the
first lady president of the country. People rejoiced over their victory proving the success of the
EDSA People’s Power Revolution, the historic peaceful demonstration. Although in 2001, there
was an attempt to revive People Power in the efforts to oust then President Joseph Estrada, it
was not as strong as the glorifying demonstration in 1986. The bloodless, People Power
Revolution in EDSA renewed the power of the people, strengthened the meaning of
democracy and restored the democratic institutions of government. Continue to the 5th
Republic (1986) up to the Present Time.
 EDSA DOS (The Fall of Estrada)
• The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as EDSA II (pronounced as EDSA Two or
EDSA Dos, the Spanish word for "two"), was a political protest from January 17–20,
2001 that peacefully overthrew the government of Joseph Estrada, the thirteenth
President of the Philippines.[2] Estrada resigned and was succeeded by his Vice
President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was sworn into office by then-Chief Justice
Hilario Davide Jr. at around noon on January 20, 2001, several hours before Estrada
fled Malacañang Palace. EDSA is an acronym derived from Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue, the major thoroughfare connecting five cities in Metro Manila, namely Pasay,
Makati, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and Caloocan, with the revolution's epicenter at
the EDSA Shrine church at the northern tip of Ortigas Center, a business district.
• Advocates described EDSA II as "popular", but critics view the uprising as a conspiracy
among political and business elites, military top brass and Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin.
International reaction to the revolt was mixed, with some foreign nations including the
United States immediately recognising the legitimacy of Arroyo's presidency, and foreign
commentators describing it as "a defeat for due process of law", "mob rule", and a "de facto
coup".
• The only means of legitimizing the event was the last-minute Supreme Court ruling that "the
welfare of the people is the supreme law." But by then, the Armed Forces of the Philippines
had already withdrawn support for the president, which some analysts called
unconstitutional, and most foreign political analysts agreeing with this assessment. William
Overholt, a Hong Kong-based political economist said that "It is either being called mob rule
or mob rule as a cover for a well-planned coup, ... but either way, it's not democracy."
Opinion was divided during EDSA II about whether Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the
incumbent Vice President should be President if Joseph Estrada was ousted; many groups
who participated in EDSA II expressly stated that they did not want Arroyo for president
either, and some of them would later participate in EDSA III. The prevailing Constitution of
the Philippines calls for the Vice President of the Philippines, Arroyo at the time, to act as
interim president only when the sitting President dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated,
none of which occurred during EDSA II.
• The exposé immediately ignited reactions of rage. The next day, Senate Minority Leader
Teofisto Guingona, Jr. delivered a fiery privilege speech accusing Estrada of receiving P220
million in jueteng money from Governor Singson from November 1998 to August 2000, as well
as taking P70 million on excise tax on cigarettes intended for Ilocos Sur. The privilege speech
was referred by Senate President Franklin Drilon, to the Blue Ribbon Committee and the
Committee on Justice for joint investigation. Another committee in the House of
Representatives decided to investigate the exposé, while other house members spearheaded
a move to impeach the president.
• More calls for resignation came from Manila Cardinal Archbishop Jaime Sin, the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines, former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos,
and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (who had resigned her cabinet position of
Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development). Cardinal Sin stated in a
statement "In the light of the scandals that besmirched the image of presidency, in the last
two years, we stand by our conviction that he has lost the moral authority to govern."[8] More
resignations came from Estrada's cabinet and economic advisers, and other members of
congress defected from his ruling party.
• On November 13, 2000, the House of Representatives led by Speaker Manuel Villar transmitted
the Articles of Impeachment, signed by 115 representatives, to the Senate. This caused
shakeups in the leadership of both houses of congress. The impeachment trial was formally
opened on November 20, with twenty-one senators taking their oaths as judges, and Supreme
Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. presiding. The trial began on December 7.

• The day-to-day trial was covered on live television and received the highest viewing rating,
mostly by the broadcasting giant ABS-CBN at the time.[7] Among the highlights of the trial was
the testimony of Clarissa Ocampo, senior vice president of Equitable PCI Bank, who testified
that she was one foot away from Estrada when he signed the name "Jose Velarde" documents
involving a P500 million investment agreement with their bank in February 2000.