Twenty six years ago, the first ever non-violent revolt to topple over a dictatorial regime occurred on Philippine soil.
Back then, I was yet too young to remember. My three-year old brain couldn’t fathom the gravity of the situation, or why a bevy of jet planes flew overhead, why our neighbors ceaselessly flashed the Cory sign, or why everybody ’round town wore yellow and kept singing Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree.
*These shots were taken last year, during the 25th anniversary of the EDSA revolution. I was on a bus ride home, from a job interview in Ortigas.
All I know is that 26 years later, I am enjoying the freedom that was born out of that revolution. In a country where political intellect is forever on an all-time low, and opportunistic celebrities and otherworldly corrupt TRAPOs dominate the political arena, it’s a comfort to know there were days when every Filipino truly understood and cared about freedom.
And for that, I will always be thankful to each Filipino – nuns, priests, doctors, soldiers, parents, politicians, lawyers, teachers, employees, children – who endured days of hunger strikes, took their rallies out to the streets, and never thought twice about shedding blood in the name of democracy.
