‘BUHAY ANG DIWA NG EDSA!’: Thousands of Panayanons mark People Power anniversary

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By Juliane Judilla

Amid the declaration of Feb. 25 as a working holiday, thousands of Panayanons took to the streets to mark the 40th anniversary of the historic EDSA People Power Revolution, asserting that its spirit remains alive four decades later.

Carrying demands and calls for accountability, participants across Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique commemorated what they described as both a celebration of democracy and a renewed call to resist corruption and abuse of power.

Historic significance

The four-day uprising from Feb. 22 to 25, 1986, gathered millions of Filipinos along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Metro Manila, culminating in the ouster of then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who had ruled under martial law since 1972.

For two decades, Filipinos endured authoritarian rule marked by widespread human rights violations, media repression and the consolidation of power among Marcos and his allies. Critics and historians have documented how cronies gained control of major press and industry outlets, while billions of dollars in loans from the United States, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were allegedly siphoned off, contributing to what would later be described as ill-gotten wealth.

Yet the People Power movement was not born overnight. Long before the tanks rolled into EDSA, resistance had been brewing. Student activists, labor unions, peasant organizations, urban poor communities, church workers, journalists and underground movements — both in the Philippines and abroad — worked relentlessly to expose abuses and mobilize dissent. Armed revolutionaries and exiled dissidents alike contributed to a broad movement that built the foundation for the mass uprising.

Renewed calls under a new Marcos administration

Forty years later, the country once again finds itself under a Marcos presidency, now led by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Various anticorruption groups claim that systemic corruption persists, pointing to controversies over unprogrammed appropriations and alleged government project kickbacks.

Activist groups have also renewed calls for accountability amid political tensions involving Vice President Sara Duterte. Meanwhile, former President Rodrigo Duterte continues to face scrutiny before the International Criminal Court over his administration’s drug war.

For many Panayanons, the anniversary served not only as remembrance but also as resistance.

In Iloilo City, an estimated 5,000 Ilonggos joined a three-part program organized by Kahublagan Kontra Kurapsyon (KKK) and the Archdiocese of Jaro.

The commemoration began at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, followed by a march to St. Clement’s Church. Participants then gathered at Jaro Cathedral for a Mass presided over by the Archbishop of Jaro. The event concluded with a solemn candle-lighting ceremony within the cathedral grounds.

Speakers underscored the Church’s historic role during the 1986 uprising and called on today’s faithful to defend truth and democratic institutions.

In Roxas City, Capiz, parishioners and civic groups staged a silent walk, prayer vigil and candle-lighting protest led by the Metropolitan Cathedral and Archdiocesan Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The activity followed a short program at the Plaza Bandstand organized by KKK-Capiz.

In Aklan, progressive groups staged a lightning protest and march around Crossing Banga. The contingent included Rise Up Aklan, BAYAN-Aklan, Gabriela, Anakbayan, Pagtililibyog it Mangunguma sa Aklan (PANGUMA), and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA)-Aklan.

Meanwhile, in Antique, hundreds attended a Mass at San Jose Cathedral before marching toward the Evelio B. Javier Monument for a protest concert led by the AMLIG Antique Alliance.

Javier, a former Antique governor and prominent opposition figure, was assassinated on Feb. 11, 1986 — just days before the People Power Revolution — in what was widely seen as a politically motivated killing linked to the Marcos regime.

The province now faces allegations of ghost projects, overpriced infrastructure deals, unauthorized mining ventures and environmentally destructive practices involving projects linked to private contractors, including companies such as Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation.

Despite the working holiday declaration, Panay’s streets bore witness to a collective remembrance that transcended routine observance. For participants, the 40th anniversary of EDSA People Power was not merely about history — but about responsibility. (Photos by Juliane Judilla/Daily Guardian, PT)