Aberration
It started February 22, 1986. The revolution is far from over.
Those of us who were members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) commemorate February 22, 1986 as the start of the 1986 Revolution. Reformist elements in the armed forces spearheaded by the RAM triggered the EDSA revolution bringing together Filipinos from all sectors, colors and political leanings. We call it People Power today. The February 25 anniversary date was chosen by those who hijacked the revolution to fit the yellow ribbon narrative of the widow who ousted a dictator. It was the day the dictator left the palace, like it was the end in itself. The day she took her oath at Club Filipino as the president "swept into power" by a popular revolution. EDSA could not be commemorated on February 22 because Cory was not there and had no role in the events that took place that day. It would not make a good script for the narrative.
Revolutions do not take place over a period of 4 days.
Winona Writer wrote:
"Edsa '86 was not about the Aquinos - father, son, and mahjong's holy ghost. Those four days in February were about a handful of idealistic young soldiers who dreamed of reforming their armed force.
And then Butch came marching in with his atom, the precursor of the yellow cult.
And then a highly politicized archbishop called on his flock to troop to the streets to protect JPE and the Ram boys. But not once in that feb22 call over Radio Veritas -a recording of which I still have- did the cardinal say let's go to Edsa to honor Santa Corazon. Nonetheless, she eventually emerged from hiding to claim what was presumably hers.
Still, Edsa '86 was about battle-hardened Marines who REFUSED to ram their tanks on praying civilians.
Edsa '86 was about Sotelo's air force that CHOSE NOT to shoot down on the "rebels" but instead waved white flags as a sign of defection and landed on Crame amid a jubilant crowd.
Edsa '86 was about an ailing president who REFUSED to fire the guns on his very people. And that is not a revisionist version of history, goddamit.
In sum, Edsa '86 was NEVER about grabbing power by using force against the powerless. It was not so much about the touted people power but about the overpowering restraint of the disciplined soldier, to protect and not to harm the unarmed civilian.
I was mulling over that Edsa thing year in, year out, doing some TV documentary on its first anniversary for ABS, its 10th anniversary for TeddyBoy's Assignment, and was gonna do another on its 20th, till Tito Ding Lichauco, the nationalist/economist/author (bless his dear old soul) said, "What Edsa Revolution are you talking about, Nona? You mean the Edsa Aberration?"
Given what the yellow cult has eventually done to Edsa, it is to me, today, exactly just that: an aberration."
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