Erasing EDSA

By Artchil B. Fernandez

For the first time since 1986, date of EDSA People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship is no longer a holiday, working or non-working. On October 11 last year, Bongbong Marcos (BBM) signed Proclamation No. 368 enumerating the holidays – working and non-working, for 2024. In that list, BBM removed EDSA anniversary as a special non-working holiday.

The omission is too glaring to ignore.

The process of erasing EDSA started last year, BBM’s first year in office. He did declare the 37th anniversary of EDSA revolt as a special non-working holiday with a caveat.  BBM moved the holiday to February 24, instead of February 25, the date his family was ousted from power after ruling for 20 years and exiled to Hawaii. That seemed a small step but is part of a nefarious scheme to erase EDSA from the collective memory of the Filipino people.

This year’s removal of EDSA anniversary from the list of holidays is the next step in the script.  The excuse is so lame the administration did not even bother to cover-up the obvious.

While the Office of the President claimed it still respect the significance of EDSA, “however such was not included in the list of special non-working days for the year 2024 as February 25 falls on a Sunday.”  Since the date fell on a weekend, “there is a minimal socio-economic impact in declaring such a day as a special non-working holiday since it coincides with the rest day for most workers/laborers.”  If this is the case why last year’s commemoration was declared a holiday even if it fell on a weekend?  BBM even moved the holiday to the day before so people can celebrate the event.  If BBM really regard the importance of the EDSA, he could have followed last year’s template and moved the holiday on Monday, so it has a significant economic impact.

The non-declaration of EDSA revolt anniversary as a holiday is another move of the Marcoses to degrade it.  Distorting and falsifying Philippine history is a life-time project of the Marcoses.  Celebrating the date of their expulsion from Malacañang is a bitter pill for the Marcoses to swallow.  The date pricks their conscience, evoking their high crimes against the Filipino people.

EDSA commemoration grimly reminds the Marcoses of the dark side of their family, why the Marcos dictatorship was overthrown. It forces them to confront their insidious past, what they did to the nation.  EDSA commemoration shoved on their faces the ugly truth about the source of their fabulous wealth. There is no Tallano gold, no discovery of the fabled Yamashita treasure.  The seemingly unlimited wealth enjoyed by the Marcoses today was stolen from the Filipino people.  Ten billion US dollars was the rough estimate of the money robbed from the national treasury by the Marcos dictatorship.  Only half of it was recovered.

Commemorating the date of EDSA revolt as a holiday ingrained in the collective memory of the Filipino people the horrors, oppression, abuse of power, and rampant corruption committed by the Marcos dictatorship.  February 25 is the day the rule of the Marcoses was terminated. The dictatorship was ended on that date, marking the restoration of liberal democracy in the country.  The date was a watershed in modern Philippine history.  It was the day the nation turned a leaf.  On February 25, 1986 the Filipino finally had enough. Tama na, sobra na!

Holiday like EDSA commemoration performs an important social function.  Taking off from the work of Durkheim on the rituals, sociologist Amitai Etzioni (2020) proposes that holiday (as ritual) manages social tension and is one way society recommits to its values.  Holiday for Etzioni is a public ritual.

Durkheim (1995) holds that rituals like holidays promote social integration by affirming shared beliefs and values.  Building on Durkheim, Etzioni (2020) developed typology of holidays, one is recommitment holiday.  Etzioni (2020) contends that people who participate in recommitment holiday “will be more committed to the shared beliefs and institutions of their respective communities after such participation than they were before.”  Society celebrates recommitment holiday to strengthen its common morality.

Commemorating EDSA anniversary every February 25 as a holiday is an occasion for Filipinos to recommit themselves to the values EDSA stood for.  These beliefs include honesty in public service, rejection of authoritarianism, valuing freedom and democracy, commitment to human rights, abhorrence of corruption, good governance, transparency in public service, among other liberal ideals. The EDSA anniversary is a celebration of liberal democratic values.

Failure of post-EDSA liberal regimes to institutionalize EDSA anniversary by passing a law for its commemoration helped dilute liberal values, diminishing its hold on society.  It is no surprise authoritarian impulse is now resurging leading to the triumph of Du30’s despotic populism and facilitated the return of the Marcoses to power.

From the perspective of Etzioni removing EDSA anniversary as a holiday deprives Filipinos a venue to reaffirm liberal-democratic values.  This has a far-reaching impact on Filipino society and may considerably damage it.  Liberal values are being discredited through the fake news, misinformation, and disinformation by illiberal forces.  Downgrading EDSA anniversary by making it a non-holiday will further hasten the weakening of democratic impetus.  Erasing EDSA is slaying the democratic impulse of Filipino society.  This is end game anti-democratic forces.

If democratic values are eliminated, the opposite will reign supreme.  If Filipinos are not careful, they will wake up one day relieving the nightmare of dictatorship, living once again under the dark and icy rule of corrupt, heartless, and conscienceless tyrant.