Silent tears flooded Epifanio de los Santos Avenue as deafening prayers roared across the horizons of the Pearl of the Orient. For the freedom fighters, there was no assurance, no solid ground. Just a bunch of silky yellow ribbons dancing gracefully with the wind, a ton of hands clenched together, and more than two million hearts intertwined. This was the rebirth of our democracy. This was the Yellow Revolution.
More than two decades ago, the world watched with awe as the Filipinos awaken from their long wretched slumber and emerged to the realm of consciousness and thought. They stood dumbfounded as the Filipinos went out from the lurking shadows and bravely came marching down with heavy stomps towards the light armed with nothing but hope. We Filipinos were once taught, but that year, 1986, it was us who enlightened the world of what it means to be democratic. Of what it means to be free. Of what it means to be Filipino.
Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country for many never to be forgotten years. He did his job. Yes, he accomplished projects in great numbers. He made good relations with the rest of the world. He propelled the economy into greater heights. He was an intelligent man. But intelligence alone is not enough to rule a country. To emphasize it, intelligence alone is not enough to rule a ‘Philippines’.
Filipinos are neither robots nor puppets. This is the reality that probably gave Marcos dreary sleepless nights. Well, aside maybe from the nagging of his shoe-addicted hair-bee-hived over-dressed wife, Imelda.
Filipinos are indeed patient people but not doormats. They did not revolt for insignificant reasons; they revolted for their freedom. I am pretty sure FREEDOM is significant.
When then-president Ferdinand Marcos was barred from running a third-term presidency, he declared Martial Law. Just like that. In a single declaration, he stole the power off every Filipinos hands. He sliced of every Filipinos choice. He became a one-man show. No freedom of speech, no freedom of expression, no liberties, no nothing. The country was sticky pink gum under his soles. He held the strings of the puppet show, known before as the ‘Philippines’.
“Ibon mang may layang lumipad
Kulungin mo at umiiyak
Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag
Ang di magnasang makaalpas!
Pilipinas kong minumutya
Pugad ng luha ko't dalita
Aking adhika,
Makita kang sakdal laya!”
“Bayan Ko”, this was theme song that accompanied the struggles fought by the Filipinos. More than just a compilation of words, this song helped unite the Filipinos in ways most unexpected.
I read once, that a country is united by three major factors. One is faith; second is music; and third is the food. I agree with the article. But considering the condition and circumstances faced by the Filipinos 23 years ago, I believe that four principles embraced the hearts of the Filipinos that time, thus, giving People Power Revolution a page in history:
First is faith. Faith for God, faith for the country, and faith for fellow Filipinos. The hope that flares in the hearts of each citizen gave a speck of chance for change, for revolution. Citizens who stood bare for danger, well, stood there because they did not lose hope. They refused to surrender to conceited human power for they know there is an omnipotent power far more dominant than of Ferdinand’s. They believed in that power, in that God. Filipinos, as believers, came together as one united nation.
Second is the selflessness. The two million did not gather there for their own interest. They exposed themselves to the unexpected for they thought of something greater than themselves --their country. Filipinos were united by their altruism. Marching for the sake of others, praying for the sake of others, crying for the sake of others. This was a very vivid reality during the Yellow Revolution. This is what made every single one of those who went heroes. This is why we call ourselves Filipinos.
Third is courage. Fear is a natural enemy. But Marcos’ power was a far stronger and spine-chilling fear than the usual fear of spiders or darkness. Trepidation for the death of freedom caught every Filipino terror-stricken. A dark blanket of defeat and helplessness covered the country. But the bravery, the audacity of the Filipinos fought back for what is good. They fought a giant wave of power without any assurance of victory or even survival. They just knew they had to stand up, and with all their guts, they did. February 25, 1986, we made our dear Lapu-lapu proud.
And fourth is the acknowledgement of the citizens that they ARE indeed Filipinos. It was truly beautiful to see Filipinos recognize who they are. And for this, they know what they are capable of. They know what blood runs in their veins and what blood they protect. Being proud to be a Filipino, gave the boost the revolution needed. It was the acknowledgement of who we are, and what we will always proudly be.
These four things made the People Power 1 a slap in the face of the Marcos administration. There was no war like the ones in Iraq; there was no shoot out like the ones in Israel, all there was during the Yellow Revolution was sacrifice.
The sacrifice made by the ordinary people made the loudest and grandest impact of all. The Filipinos were rebels. They rebelled against injustice, against stripping of liberties. Filipinos were good rebels. Marcos saw the uprising as “a form of stupidity”. But for the rest of the country, it was peaceful cry for freedom. And that ‘stupidity’ has caused him his throne, oh how powerful citizens are.
Now, let’s go back to our time. Today, we cherish the stories, article clippings and pictures from the Yellow Revolution 23 years ago. We celebrate its anniversary over and over. We dedicate a holiday to what our two million heroes did for the country. We rejoice our freedom.
But all this, we totally forget as soon as the holiday is over. All this, we store in the back of our heads as soon as something shallow distracts our attention. We commemorate the people power but we live in a way that will make the ghosts of those two million haunt us.
The list:
corruption, check.
Graft, check.
Dirty politics, check.
Injustice, check.
Cheating, check.
Confused, uncaring and unaware citizens, giant check.
Isn’t shameful that we declare ourselves liberated when all this crap still exist in our country today? What difference does the revolution make if we still allow the things it once aimed to kill to grow back as weeds to the backbones of our country. What for were the yellow ribbons if we allow the injustice to happen right in front of our noses. What for was the revolution when we allow reasons to be born that would trigger another revolution. The trend is superficial. It will not stop unless we realize this.
We once elected Ferdinand Marcos but in the long run, he went against our principles. So we revolted. We once elected Joseph Estrada, but he did not seem to please every one. So we revolted. We elected Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, like Erap, not all are pleased. So what, are we going to revolt? Again?
The problem with present Filipinos is that, we complain too much but work far too little. What if the problem this time is not just with the government but with ourselves. What sacrifice are we willing to give our country?
During the Yellow revolution, citizens would make a hand gesture with their thumb and index finger to form a letter ‘L’. This represented “LABAN”. But today, we make that to pronounce “LOSER”. What happened to us? From fighters, we are now defeated dummies. We let the crimes go as long as we don’t feel the immediate effect. But when the sunburn finally appears, we complain.
The revolution did not end on February 25, 1986. Actually, the revolution never stopped at all. It is a continuous fight for what is right, not just freedom, but many other things. We can only be defeated once we stop.
The People Power Revolution was a silent cry for freedom. Now, it is our job to handle our own revolution, the continuous cry for action.
