1986.  EDSA.  Philippines.  People Power.  Cory Aquino.

For the generation that did not get a taste of what it was like during the Marcos regime, now is a good time to let them know how the Philippines brought down a dictator in a bloodless revolution let by Cory Aquino.  The revolution was sparked a few years earlier by the gruesome murder of Cory’s husband Ninoy Aquino who bravely criticized the Marcoses for their excesses.  It ended with the ordinary citizens bravely facing guns and cannons to protect the soldiers that withdrew support from the dictator who eventually gave in to the pressure and exiled himself from the country.

The good thing nowadays is that it is very easy to lookup for Information about almost anything and parents and teachers should encourage their students to research about Cory Aquino and the events that led to the restoration of democracy in the Philippines.  Reminding today’s generation of the ills of dictatorship and how valuable is the democracy that we take for granted nowadays would be a fitting tribute to Cory, Ninoy and all other Filipinos known and unknown who sacrificed so much for our country.

Did you know that the term ‘People Power’ is associated with the Philippines and is recognized worldwide as a legacy of Cory and the Filipino people?  It is the 1986 people power that inspired other nations to organize their own people power revolutions to remove from power their leaders who trample on freedom.

But people power doesn’t stop there.  People power should happen everyday as all citizens work hard to survive and live better lives.  People power is also our legacy to ourselves, our family and our community.  Our freedom of expression, assisted by modern technology, is something we enjoy now because of the people power in 1986.  We are forever grateful to Cory for giving us the ability to exercise people power.