25/02/2025
๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ
39 years ago, millions of Filipinos stood against tyranny, toppling a dictator and restoring democracy through the bloodless EDSA People Power Revolution. It was a testament to the unbreakable spirit of a nation that refused to be silenced. Courage, solidarity, and resilience triumphed over tyranny. But today, that hard-won victory is under siege.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the essence of EDSA is being systematically erased. The whitewashing of Martial Law atrocities has intensified, with government-sanctioned disinformation portraying his fatherโs dictatorship as a golden era. Historical accounts of human rights violations, media suppression, and economic plunder are being drowned out by revisionist propaganda. School curriculums are subtly altered, replacing facts with glorified myths of the Marcos regime.
The recent declaration of February 25 as a working holiday is not just administrative; it is a calculated move to downplay the revolutionโs significance. Stripping EDSA of its holiday status sends a clear message: its memory is inconvenient to those in power, and a threat to their positions. This move discourages younger generations from grasping its true weight.
Beyond mere historical distortion, impunity thrives. Political persecution, the red-tagging of activists, and the silencing of dissent persist. The hard-won lessons of EDSA, accountability, democracy, and resistance to oppression are being systematically erased, buried under state-sponsored propaganda and the suppression of truth.
๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ? A Marcos, once driven into exile, is back in Malacaรฑang. The same machinery of disinformation that secured his return is now being used to erase the sins of the past and cement his rule. The Philippines stands at a crossroads where history is manipulated, and the fight for truth and justice is undermined.
๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐, ๐ค๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ ?
The fight for democracy did not end in 1986. It rages on today, against historical distortion and the erosion of our freedoms. Todayis more than a holidayโit is a symbol of our nationโs strength and refusal to be oppressed. We must remember, resist, and demand the truth. If we allow those people in power to rewrite history, twist narratives, and silence those who dare to remember, we risk losing the very freedom that millions once fought for.
START AIT stands firm in resisting the spread of disinformation and the erasure of history. As we mark the 39th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, we renew the call for justiceโnot only for the victims of Martial Law but also for those who suffered under the Duterte regimeโs bloody drug war. We must hold leaders accountable, safeguard our freedom and rights, and ensure that EDSAโs legacy endures for future generations. The fight for democracy is far from over, and it is up to us to keep its flame alive and burning.