HISTORY | EDSA40

Forty years ago, history unfolded not with gunfire, but with courage.

On 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟱, 𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟲, along, 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘀 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 (𝗘𝗗𝗦𝗔) millions of Filipinos stood side by side—priests and nuns, students and workers, parents and children, individuals from different sectors. They faced tanks not with weapons, but with rosaries, flowers, and an unshaken faith in democracy. What the world witnessed became known as the 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, a peaceful uprising that ended two decades of dictatorship under 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘴 𝘚𝘳..

The movement was sparked when key military officials, including then 𝘈𝘍𝘗 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧 𝘍𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘭 𝘝. 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴 and 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘑𝘶𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘦 , withdrew their support from the regime. As tension grew, 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘯 former Archbishop of Manila, called upon Filipinos to protect the defecting soldiers. The people answered. They gathered in EDSA—not to destroy, but to defend freedom.

At the heart of it all was a nation reclaiming its voice. The revolution led to the presidency of 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 "𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘺" 𝘈𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘰, restoring democratic institutions and inspiring peaceful movements around the world.

Now, at 𝟰𝟬, EDSA is more than a chapter in our textbooks. It is a reminder.

A reminder that 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙙—𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.

That 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩—𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙙.

That 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.

For today’s generation—many of whom only know EDSA through stories and lessons—the 𝟰𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 challenges us to ask:

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘐𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦?

Revolution at 40 is not just about looking back. It is about moving forward—with vigilance, with wisdom, and with the same bravery that once filled EDSA with hope.

𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙙.

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙙. 🇵🇭