Why Celebrate EDSA?

Thirty-five years since the bloodless, non-violent revolution toppled a dictator and ushered in a new era of democracy in the Philippines, the EDSA People Power Revolution has become, and continues to be, a hot-topic that splits people along party lines and vouch for their personalities of choice.

But is this revolution still worth celebrating? How should we even look at it?

In a time when anything on social media can be met with skepticism, or passed on as verified information when it is actually fake news, people are so gung-ho about supporting the seemingly two key families in this historic event: the Aquinos and the Marcoses.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t even born during the time of the revolution, so my only source of information were anecdotes, history books, and online content.

But there’s something more to this revolution than just looking at it between yellow and red or what-have-you. And this is what I believe to be missing, because sadly, Filipinos are glued to the personalities involved.

EDSA People Power Revolution is more than that.

The Revolution is more than Aquino or Marcos, no matter how large their roles were in this shift of power.

It’s a reminder of how a collective force for can inspire change. It’s a reminder of how people ought to cherish the beauty of democracy.

Truth be told, anyone else could be in the place of the Aquinos or the Marcoses, but the message of how people can come together in non-violent means and inspire change remain constant. That’s what we ought to hold on to.

Alas, the world, the Filipinos in particular, seems more engrossed in keeping tabs of the personalities than on the true essence of a non-violent, bloodless revolution. It seems easier to just be swayed by the personalities than to grasp a concept and a message.

But we have to keep going.

We have to keep trying hard to be reminded of the message that extends far beyond the likes of the Aquinos, the Marcoses, and all their respective cohorts.

So, will I continue celebrating EDSA?

Yes, because I believe in the power of the collective forces of the Filipinos.

Yes, because I believe that democracy is not given to us on a silver platter. It is fought for. It’s tough fighting for it, and it’s tougher keeping it and safeguarding it, but it’s worth it.

Yes, because I believe in the message and essence of EDSA, far beyond the inclinations of an Aquino or a Marcos which the rest of the Filipinos are so blinded to.