Living the Edsa Revolution’s ideals

Think Bits

Last Thursday we celebrated the 30th anniversary of People Power or the Edsa Revolution, an event that many Marcos loyalists continue to claim to be a failure because it didn’t bring any of the prosperity and democracy that it promised to the Filipino people.

In fact, they would continue to assert that nothing much has changed in our country, something that I take issue with.

I believe that the Edsa Revolution is but a continuing struggle that didn’t end with the late Corazon Aquino sitting in the Palace and restoring democracy in governance.

If you look at our country today, there are many who comment about the Edsa Revolution with the air and confidence of those who were there, but who are in fact not even born when it happened. .

During the Martial Law, there were many violations committed by the administration of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

It may be true that the money he stole is nothing compared to the amount of money stolen from our coffers today through the pork barrel.

Our politicians have become very innovative in trying their utmost best to milk our country of our taxpayers’ money.

I thought we have finally put an end last year to the saga of the pork barrel, but apparently this wasn’t the case.

As I write this column, there are allegations that Congress still has provided a system of pork barrel in our budget today though another name and scheme.

It seems that the quest for freedom, democracy and prosperity during the Marcos years that culminated in the first Edsa Revolution is kind of elusive.

I have not lost hope that someday we will achieve this since there are still people who continue to follow through the ideals of the Edsa Revolution.

But the struggle becomes harder because our politicians have become sophisticated in masking and pursuing their personal agenda.

Luckily our people have become discerning and have prevented these politicians from easily thriving in our country.

I continue to dream that our country would become great again, and that finally we would have public servants who would serve our country with honesty and not rob us of our hard-earned money.

I know this is not going to be easy and it would always be a struggle because there are selfish and self-centered politicians among us who continue to thrive because

we allowed them to. These politicians have hoodwinked us and survived the onslaught of positive changes in our society.

There are those who appear to have embraced the Edsa Revolution struggles and ideals but in spirit and truth are really like the politicians during the Marcos regime who are in power for their own interests.

Some of them are no longer in power because our people got wise to their  schemes and didn’t vote for them.

As long as we sustain our beliefs of the Edsa Revolution’s ideals and live by them, then we will realize our dream of true democracy, peace and progress in the not-too-distant future.

I remembered the events leading up to the Edsa Revolution. Tony Erap Avila, Vic Canoy and I were practically at Camp Sergio Osmeña when the regional police defected to the side of then-defense chief Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces vice chief of staff Fidel Ramos.

We were conducting a program on top of the entrance of the camp. I remembered that singer Diomedes Maturan and actress Manilyn Reynes sang the song Bayan Ko.

I also remembered that I announced that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos finally left our country after being informed by someone who was also there to barricade the camp and monitor the news in Manila.

When it was confirmed that Marcos really left the country, there was jubilation in the area and my friends and I went around Jones Avenue to celebrate the event that restored democracy back to the Philippines.

If only for that achievement, I think the first Edsa Revolution deserves to be commemorated every year.