2. (also known as The People Power Revolution) was a series of
popular demonstrations in the Philippines that began in 1983 and
culminated in 1986. The methods used amounted to a sustained
campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and
electoral fraud. This case of nonviolent revolution led to the
departure of President Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of
the country's democracy. It is also referred to as the Yellow
Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during the
demonstrations and the arrival of then assassinated Benigno
Aquino, Jr.
3. The majority of the demonstrations took place on a
long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, more
commonly known by its acronym EDSA, in
Metropolitan Manila from February 22–25, 1986 and
involved over two million Filipino civilians as well as
several political, military, and including religious groups
led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila.
The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition
from years of corrupt governance by Marcos,
culminated with the departure of the dictator from
Malacañang Palace to the United States state of
Hawaii. Corazon Aquino was proclaimed as the
legitimate President of the Philippines after the
revolution.
5. Ferdinand Marcos was elected president in
1965, defeating incumbent Diosdado Macapagal by a
very slim margin. During this time, Marcos was very
active in the initiation of public works projects and the
intensification of tax collections. Marcos and his
government claimed that they "built more roads than
all his predecessors combined, and more schools
than any previous administration".Amidst charges of
vote buying and a fraudulent election, Marcos was
reelected in1969,this time defeating Serg.Osmeña Jr.
6. however, was marred by allegations of widespread graft and
corruption. The increasing disparity of wealth between the
very wealthy and the very poor which made up the majority
of the country's population led to the rise of crime and civil
unrest around the country. These factors, including the
formation of the New People's Army, an armed revolt that
called for the redistribution of wealth and land reform in the
Philippines, and a bloody Muslim separatist movement in the
southern island of Mindanao led by the Moro National
Liberation Front, contributed to the rapid rise of civil
discontent and unrest in the Philippines.
7. Marcos was barred from running for a third term as president
in 1973, so on September 23, 1972, by virtue of a
presidential proclamation (No. 1081), he declared martial
law, citing rising civil disobedience as justification. Through
this decree, Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full
control of the Philippine military and the authority to suppress
the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and many
other civil liberties. Marcos also dissolved the Philippine
Congress and shut down media establishments critical of the
Marcos government. Marcos also ordered the immediate
arrest of his political opponents and critics
8. Marcos would also abolish the Philippines' 1935 constitution and
replace it with a parliamentary-style government (the Batasang
Pambansa) along with a new constitution written by him. With
practically all of his political opponents arrested and in exile,
Marcos' pre-emptive declaration of martial law in 1972, and the
ratification of his new constitution through political coercion, enabled
him to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to power for
another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. At a
period when the Cold War was still a political reality, Marcos's
dictatorship ensured the political support of the United States by
Marcos' promise to stamp out communism in the Philippines and by
assuring the United States of its continued use of military and naval
bases in the Philippines.
9. Throughout his presidency, Ferdinand Marcos had set up a
regime in the Philippines that would give him ultimate
power over the military and the national treasury, as well as
set up a personality cult. Following his declaration of
martial law on September 21, 1972,[9] Marcos immediately
began to embezzle money from the government and order
the military to kill any political competition against him. As a
result, the Philippine economy began to tumble greatly, and
the nation lost its competitive edge in Southeast Asia
10. Marcos ordered many stores, hotels, schools, universities,
and other public places to place his Presidential picture
prominently or otherwise their facilities were shut down.
The media frequently "eulogized" Marcos through public
service announcements and news reports. Even billboard
advertisements across the country were replaced with his
propaganda messages on justifying his regime's actions.
Marcos also ordered the shutdown and takeovers of
businesses in the country, then put these businesses either
under the government control, or under the control of
Marcos cronies.
11. In 1983, Ninoy Aquino announced of his plans to return
to the Philippines as a challenge to Marcos's
government. Because of the plans of Ninoy, Marcos with
the military and the police, disillusioned junior officers
silently conveyed their grievances. This led to the
formation of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement
(RAM), Soldier of the Filipino People (SFP), and Young
Officers Union (YOU). RAM, which was led by graduates
of the Philippine Military Academy Class of '71, Lt. Col.
Gringo Honasan, Lt. Col. Victor Batac, and Lt. Col.
Eduardo Kapunan, found an ally and mentor in the
Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile.
12. Despite warnings from the military and other pro-Marcos groups, Ninoy
Aquino was determined to return to the Philippines. Asked what he
thought of the death threats, Ninoy Aquino responded, “The Filipino is
worth dying for.”
On August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the United States,
Aquino was assassinated as he was disembarking from a commercial
flight at the Manila International Airport (which was later renamed in
Aquino’s honor). His assassination shocked and outraged many
Filipinos, most of whom had lost confidence in the Marcos
administration. The event led to more suspicions about the
government, triggering non-cooperation among Filipinos that
eventually led to outright civil disobedience. It also shook the Marcos
government, which was by then deteriorating due, in part, to Marcos’
worsening health and ultimately fatal illness (lupus erythematosus).
13. The assassination of Ninoy Aquino
caused the economy of the country to
deteriorate even further, and the
government plunged further into debt.
By the end of 1983, the country was
bankrupt, and the economy
contracted by 6.8%.
14. In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, led by Chief
Justice Enrique Fernando, to launch an investigation into
Aquino’s assassination. Despite the commission’s
conclusions, Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of
Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and
rejected the government’s views on the assassination. By
October, Marcos appointed a second commission to
investigate. The commission’s final report accused the
military of staging a conspiracy to assassinate
Aquino, dealing another major blow to the already
collapsing government.
15. The elections were held on
February 7, 1986. The official
election canvasser, the Commission
on Elections (COMELEC), declared
Marcos the winner. The final tally of
the COMELEC had Marcos winning
with 10,807,197 votes against
Aquino's 9,291,761 votes.
16. On the other hand, the final tally of the National Movement for Free
Elections (NAMFREL), an accredited poll watcher, had Aquino winning
with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos' 7,053,068 points. This electoral
exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering
of election results, culminating in the walkout of 29 COMELEC computer
technicians to protest the deliberate manipulation of the official election
results to favor Ferdinand Marcos. The walkout was considered as one
of the early "sparks" of the People Power Revolution. The walkout also
served as an affirmation to allegations of vote-buying, fraud, and
tampering of election results by the KBL.Because of reports of alleged
fraud, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
issued a statement condemning the elections. The United States Senate
also passed a resolution stating the same condemnation. US president
Ronald Reagan issued a statement calling the fraud reports as
"disturbing". In response to the protests, COMELEC claimed that
Marcos with 53 percent won over Aquino. However, NAMFREL
countered that the latter won over Marcos with 52 percent of votes.
17. On February 15, Marcos was proclaimed by COMELEC
and Batasang Pambansa as the winner amidst the
controversy. All 50 opposition members of the
Parliament walked out in protest. The Filipino people
refused to accept the results, however, asserting that
Aquino was the real victor. Both "winners" took their oath
of office in two different places, with Aquino gaining
greater mass support. Aquino also called for coordinated
strikes and mass boycott of the media and businesses
owned by Marcos's cronies. As a result, the crony
banks, corporations, and media were hit hard, and their
shares in the stock market plummeted to record levels.
18. Tuesday, February 25, at around 7 a.m., a minor clash occurred
between loyal government troops and the reformists. Snipers
stationed atop the government-owned Channel 9 tower, near Channel
4, began shooting at the reformists. Many rebel soldiers surged to the
station.Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the
Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino. in Greenhills, about
a kilometer from Camp Crame. She was sworn in as President by
Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee, and Laurel as Vice-
President by Justice Vicente Abad Santos. The Bible on which Aquino
swore her oath was held by Aurora Aquino, the mother of Ninoy
Aquino. Attending the ceremonies were Ramos, who was then
promoted to General, Enrile, and many politicians. Outside Club
Filipino, all the way to EDSA, hundreds of people cheered and
celebrated. Bayan Ko (My Country, a popular folk song and the
unofficial National Anthem of protest) was sung after Aquino's oath-
taking. Many people wore yellow, the color of Aquino's campaign for
presidency.
19. Marcos conducted the inauguration at Malacañang. Loyalist civilians attended the
ceremony, shouting "Marcos, Marcos, Marcos pa rin! (Marcos, Marcos, still Marcos!)". On
the Palace balcony, Marcos took his oath as the President of the Philippines, broadcast by
IBC-13 and GMA-7. None of the invited foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony for
security reasons. The couple finally stepped out in the balcony of the palace in front of the
3000 KBL loyalists who were shouting to Marcos: "Capture the snakes!. First Lady Imelda
Marcos sang one more rendition of "Dahil Sa Iyo" (Because of You), the couple's theme
song, rather tearfully, chanting her trademark Tagalog entreaties:
Because of you I attained happiness
I offer you my love
If it is true that you shall enslave me
All of this is because of you.
After the inauguration, the Marcos family and their close associates hurriedly rushed to
leave the Palace. The broadcast of the event was also cut off as rebel troops successfully
captured the other stations.
By this time, hundreds of people had amassed at the barricades along Mendiola, only a
hundred meters away from Malacañang. They were prevented from storming the Palace by
loyal government troops securing the area. The angry demonstrators were pacified by
priests who warned them not to be violent.
20. Marcos arrived on February 26.
When the news of Marcos' departure reached the
people, many rejoiced and danced in the streets. Over at
Mendiola, the demonstrators were finally able to enter
Malacañang Palace, long denied to Filipinos in the past
decade. Looting by overly angry protesters occurred, but
mostly people wandered inside, looking at the place
where all the decisions that changed the course of
Philippine history had been made.
23. In her speech before the United States
Congress which she delivered on
September 18, 1986, seven months after
assuming the presidency, President Aquino
observed that "ours must have been the
cheapest revolution ever".
Despite the People Power Revolution,
however, the democratic political system of
the Philippines is still fragile and flawed.
24. Still hinders the development
of democracy and natural
resources are now mostly
exploited by Western
nations.
25. The Revolution had an effect on
democratization movements in places such
as Taiwan and South Korea; other effects
include the restoration of the freedom of the
press, adoption of a new constitution, and
the subordination of the military to civilian
rule, despite several coup attempts during
the Aquino administration.
26. The 1987 Constitution's third article titled the "bill of
rights" is guaranteed by the state, but in most instances
is largely ignored by the government, and is viewed by
foreign sources as "coded to ensure tyranny of the
majority". The revolution also provided the restoration of
democratic institutions after thirteen years of
authoritarian rule. These institutions have been used by
political and social actors to challenge the entrenched
political clans and develop Philippine democracy,
however.
27. While democracy as Filipinos knew it was restored, rampant
corruption plagued the government that led to the 2001 EDSA
Revolution, which deposed President Joseph Estrada. While the
Marcoses fled, and the former president died in exile in
Hawaii, his wife Imelda later won a seat in the House of
Representatives and his son Ferdinand Jr. was elected senator in
2010. The revolution may have had brought changes to the
leadership in the country, the power "remained concentrated
among a small rich elite." The perception of the public about the
Marcos regime is changing, with some people "focusing on his
investments, infrastructure and public works, rather than the
human rights abuses and claims of lavish personal spending."
28. There are political writers, especially those living outside of Metro
Manila, who associate the People Power Revolution with what
they term as "Imperial Manila" because it was believed that
Marcos was toppled from his position without the participation of
Filipinos living in areas outside of the capital region. In an article
published in Philippine Daily Inquirer, Amando Doronila wrote that:
People power movements have been an Imperial Manila
phenomenon. Their playing field is EDSA. They have excluded the
provincianos from their movement with their insufferable
arrogance and snobbery, ignoring the existence of the toiling
masses and peasants in agrarian Philippines.
