by Clyde Ericson Nolasco
This year’s anniversary of the People Power Revolution in Edsa was declared a special working holiday; hence, office work and classes for students continues.
The People Power Revolution
Both religious and political in significance, the People Power Revolution took place between February 22 to 25, 1986.
It was a historic, peaceful uprising against then-President Ferdinand Marcos. Millions of Filipinos from different sectors, including religious –priests and sisters– and even soldiers gathered along Epifanio de los Santos avenue to protest against the dictator Marcos with one goal: to restore democracy in the country.
The event became a global symbol of democracy and nonviolent resistance, inspiring other similar movements in other parts of the world such as the Fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany among others.
CEAP on EDSA Revolution
With the government declaring this year’s February as a work and school day, some Catholic schools took a stand and declared it a holiday.
The De La Salle University, along with the EDSOR schools (consisting of Immaculate Conception Academy, La Salle Green Hills, Saint Pedro Poveda College, and Xavier School), as well as the University of Sto. Thomas in Manila, were the first schools to declare February 25 a non-academic and non-working day reaffirming the historical significance of the EDSA Revolution.
On February 21, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) released its official statement on this year’s EDSA Revolution anniversary. The statement highlighted the importance of the celebration, emphasizing the need to speak the truth and combat the normalization of lies, dishonesty and disinformation.
CEAP encourages all its member schools to “recommit to the EDSA spirit” through various activities such as:
Eucharistic celebrations
suspension of classes and work on February 25
alternative classes
commemorative conferences and fora
reflection sessions and conversations
community outreach and socio-cultural events
Many Catholic schools followed suit.
The Our Lady of EDSA
As we continue to uphold the spirit of EDSA, let’s continue to seek the prayers of our Mother, the Our Lady of EDSA, who, with her unwavering love for us, is believed to have interceded for those who were praying during the EDSA revolution.
It was said that while the people were praying their Rosary and singing the Ave Maria, a “beautiful woman encircled in immense bright light and dressed as a nun” appeared in front of the tanks. The woman then said to the soldiers, “Dear soldiers, stop! Do not proceed. Do not harm my children. I am the queen of this land.”
The soldiers dropped their weapons and joined the people to fight against the regime.
These days, a large statue of the Our Lady of EDSA stands atop the Shrine along the highway, serving as a reminder of the miraculous power of prayer and our responsibility in our society to fight against historical revisionism and denialism.
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