by Elliot Dimasuhid |
Thirty-six years ago, on the four momentous days of February 1986, Manila was brought to a standstill. “Makibaka! ‘Wag matakot!” is a cry that has been heard for decades as activists who march on the streets time and again to show their resistance against a system that they believe has failed the people. Along Epifanio de Los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the usual lines of vehicles were replaced by throngs of people as they reclaimed the democracy that they had been deprived of, displaying their honor and courage for the whole world to see. After what newsmen described as one of the least bloody revolutions in world history, Marcos' 21-year tyrannical reign came to an end. The victory of "people power" demonstrated to the entire world that we were capable of effecting substantial changes in our country without resorting to military action and created one of history's largest ripples of movement.
After the People Power Revolution, the country was never the same. The legacy that was left by EDSA remains with the Filipinos and serves as a powerful reminder that a lasting endeavor for freedom and democracy can overcome tyranny and oppression. It is with these pillars that the movement—and the masses that adhere to its principles—strives to break the wheel. But above all, they believe in the power of the masses to shape and change the country.
It has been three decades since the people power protest, and we owe the democracy we have today to this revolution. This reminds us of what Filipinos are capable of and how hard we can fight for our liberty. But, along with our pride, we must ask two questions: first, what has changed since then? And second, how is our freedom used on a daily basis?
Even within our society, we continue to witness corruption, experience abuse, and suffer injustice, begging the question: Were our social ills truly addressed when Marcos lost power or did the perpetrators just change faces?
From an economic perspective, official data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shows the Philippine peso was already valued at P3.91 per dollar when Marcos came into power in 1965. By 1982, the peso was at P8.54 to the dollar. In 1984, the government worked out an economic recovery program with the International Monetary Fund that paved the way for a $650 million standby credit. This led to the devaluation of the peso against the US dollar. BSP data also shows the peso was P16.70 to a dollar in 1984, dropping to P18.60 the next year. By the time he was ousted in 1986, one dollar was equivalent to P20.46 – depreciating by 423.46%. The country's external debt increased from USD 24.6 billion in 1985 to USD 77.5 billion in 2015. Unlike in earlier times, when the country was caught in a debt trap, increased debt in recent years has somehow been manageable. The economy in the latter half of the 2000s experienced substantial relief as the country's external debt-service burden exhibited a pattern of decline.
And it's not just the public sector that's suffering from a moral crisis that hasn't been resolved since Marcos' era. Today, many corporations must choose between responsibility and profitability, with the latter inevitably bearing more weight. Ethics is a prevalent issue in businesses, a buzzword exploited to rack up media points without progressing beyond corporate charity.
In January through March of 2001, 15 years after the first EDSA Revolution, the Filipinos carried out a second EDSA Revolution. Hundreds of thousands of people marched to overthrow then-President Joseph Estrada after allegations of corruption, only to have him reinstated as mayor of the country's capital 12 years later, in 2013.
Today, the son of the man whose ruthless dictatorship was overthrown by millions of Filipinos three decades ago claims his family owes no apology for the dark days of Martial Law, his face and name omnipresent as he runs for the highest position in the government. He currently ranks first in pre-electoral surveys.
History has numerous facets as a subjective interpretation of the past. In this way, history does not merely replicate power dynamics in the past—it is also influenced by them. Marcos supporters chose to emphasize the superficial infrastructures constructed during the "golden age," whereas liberals recall how they reestablished and defended "democracy." But what does it all mean if the ideals for which countless numbers of individuals died are forgotten just a few years later? When the names that people fought to get rid of are still at the top of polls and surveys decades later?
Every protest, if not a deliberate buildup to a massive revolution that changes the course of history, is evidence of a people eager to express their dissatisfaction with the prevailing system. The current wave of countrywide protests exemplifies the type of rage and action that inspires revolutions. Widespread frustration is being converted into collective action with growing complexity and efficacy, in a process that will continue until actual, systemic, and revolutionary change occurs.
When the very existence of the nation is threatened, people most quickly rise to heed the call to action. Feelings of solidarity run highest among people out to preserve their nationhood. Now more than ever, as we approach the 2022 elections, it’s our chance to use revolutionary fervor to steer our nation to the future we all deserve. This history will not only serve to narrate the past but also fuel the people’s struggles in the present.
Illustration by Andrea Andam
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