A coalition of groups dedicated to preserving and promoting the democracy won back by Filipinos along with basic freedoms in 1986 has announced the activities to mark the 39^th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution. 

The Buhay ang People Power Campaign Network (BAPP) held a press conference on Friday at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Auditorium in Quezon City to lay out this year’s commemoration of the uprising on Feb. 22–25, 1986, that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 

As announced by Francis “Kiko” Aquino Dee, executive director of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF): 

On Feb. 22, there will be a Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Edsa Shrine, Quezon City, at 9:30 a.m. Fr. Manoling Francisco will celebrate the Mass which leaders and members of civil society and religious groups, political parties, nongovernment and sectoral organizations, and individuals are invited to attend. 

On Feb. 23, a “Run On Against Revision” (ROAR), organized by the August Twenty-One Movement or Atom, will start at 6:30 a.m. along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. It is planned to be a healthy and family-friendly gathering of joggers, bikers and walkers to honor the bravery of Filipino heroes and martyrs including the late former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated at the then Manila International Airport upon his return from exile on Aug. 21, 1983. Atom is united by a commitment to protect the 1987 Constitution from attempts at revisionism.

The Sunday event will continue at Rizal Park in Luneta with a fair called “Nilarong Pinoy,” a playful twist on the traditional “Palarong Pinoy.” In collaboration with civic groups and sectoral organizations, the BAPP has organized a space where the public can voice grievances, frustrations, and concerns through interactive games. 

The fair will culminate in a challenge, Dee said. A freedom wall will serve as a wake-up call to leaders, urging them, in light of the May 12 elections, “to rise to the challenge” of our times.

On Feb. 25––which Malacañang has changed from a nonworking holiday to a special working holiday––the BAPP has prepared an activity that allows the public to celebrate Edsa at their workplaces, schools, and homes.

The main celebration will take place at the Edsa People Power Monument at 8 a.m. but, Dee said, “everyone all over the country is invited to join us” in dedicating 20 minutes of the day starting at 10 a.m. to recite the “Panata ng Mamamayan,” commemorating Corazon Aquino’s oath-taking as president following the ouster of Marcos Sr. that ended his martial rule.

An excerpt of the oath reads: “I (state your name), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duty as a citizen of the Philippines, to serve and defend its fundamental law, do justice to every person, and consecrate myself to the service of the nation, so help me God.”

‘You Are Not Alone’  

The press conference featured other prominent speakers apart from the NCAF’s Dee, all rallying under the theme “‘Di Ka Nag-iisa” (You Are Not Alone): Teresita Quintos Deles, convener of Tindig Pilipinas; Voltaire Bohol and Maria Christina Nael of Atom; Matthew Silverio, national secretary general of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines; and Charles Sicad of the Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list.

Deles opened the conference with a reading of the BAPP statement, “People Power: Isang Panata, Isang Hamon,” quoting Corazon Aquino’s oath when she assumed the presidency.  

With the May 12 elections drawing near, the BAPP is calling on the candidates for public office “to rise to the challenge” and relive the spirit of the Edsa People Power Revolution through an oath to uphold democracy, to make the corrupt and the abusers of power accountable, and to serve each Filipino faithfully: “Panata nating panindigan ang demokrasya. Panata nating panagutin ang mga kurap at abusado. Panata nating paglingkuran nang tapat ang isa’t isa.”  

Atom president Bohol said the Edsa People Power Revolution should never be forgotten because “it was a shining moment of our country, the shining moment of Filipinos.” For 14 years under martial law, he said, “the international community called us cowards, but for four days in 1986, we displayed how the courage of Filipinos united us and with people power, we made things possible.”

“This is a part of our history that should make us proud…” Bohol said. “We have to continue to tell the story, we have to continue telling our stories.”

The press conference was attended by leaders and members of other groups including the Silent Majority, Silent No More PH, The Survivors’ Hub, Dakila, Kasapi, UP Samasa Alumni Association, and EveryWoman. It was livestreamed on the BAPP Facebook page. 

Read more: ‘Buhay ang Edsa’ Campaign Network marks 38th year of People Power Revolt