EDSA vs Luneta
Over the weekend, a battle was waged and won for the spirit of the People Power Movement (PPM). It was EDSA vs Luneta.
EDSA, the original site of the PPM, painfully remembers the glory of a nation united against a dictator. It has tried to remind us yearly through concrete and steel of our ability to transcend political and economic differences for a common good. And in the 30 years that have expired since we were first gathered along this thoroughfare, all of its promises have joined the dust and rubble that have become part of the pollution and traffic of the daily commute. Its heroes have become traitors to their own cause, lost in lust to the luster of power and the coin. But there are still those who believe in what it stands for. There are still the faithful who hold on to the ideals that these iconographies, beautiful and jarring monuments, represent. They are few but they are there.
Luneta, the cradle of the rebirth of the PPM, has reawakened our indomitable spirit. The travesty of the years of impunity from church and state was laid to waste when Duterte gathered us during his Miting de Avance. Filipinos came from all corners of Philippine society and even the world in the flesh or in spirit to unite once again. We all heard and heeded the call of our country and despite the odds, we won. May 9, 2016 became the new PPM. Money and machinery were no match for the inimitable strength of Filipinos defending democracy. But even in this surge of passion and unity, there are a few who saw it not only for love of country but also opportunity. There are some who would use our collective voices for their politics. That is the challenge.
We won in EDSA 1986 but we lost it through complacency. We must not make the same mistake again. Our triumph in May 2016 was a battle which nobody expected us to win. But we did. This time we must be vigilant. We heed calls for support and the show of force because we believe in our president and this government. We do not march for the icons and influencers that have come to symbolize our cause.
Last weekend, we went to Luneta not to fight once again a battle which we have already won. We went to remind ourselves that the spirit of the PPM is alive, that we are the majority, and that we will not allow what happened to EDSA 1 be repeated. We went to say that we are united and we are vigilant. Whoever may stand and talk before us will no longer take us captive. We are watching and listening this time. We are ready to fight for our democracy if it is threatened even in the smallest measure. We are the PPM.
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