The People Power Revolution (also known as the EDSA Revolution, the Philippine

Revolution of 1986, EDSA 1986, EDSA I and EDSA People Power) was a series of
popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in the capital city of Manila from February
22–25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of civil resistanceagainst regime violence and
alleged electoral fraud. The nonviolent revolution led to the departure of dictator Ferdinand
Marcos, the end of his 21-year presidential rule, and the restoration of democracy in the
Philippines.[4]
It is also referred to as the Yellow Revolution due to the presence of yellow ribbons during
demonstrations following the assassination of Filipino senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.[4] in
August 1983. It was widely seen as a victory of the people against two decades of presidential
rule by President Marcos, and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world".[5]
The majority of the demonstrations took place on a long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue, more commonly known by its acronym EDSA, in Metro Manila from February 22–25,
1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military
groups, and religious groups led by Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, along
with Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines President Cardinal Ricardo Vidal,
the Archbishop of Cebu. The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition from years of
governance by President Marcos and his cronies, culminated with the absolute rule and his
family fleeing Malacañang Palace to exile in Hawaii. Ninoy Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino,
was immediately installed as the eleventh President as a result of the revolution.[6]

Contents

 1Background and history

o 1.1Assassination of Ninoy Aquino
o 1.2Calls for election
o 1.31986 election
o 1.4Vidal's declaration
 2Events
o 2.1Aborted military coup
o 2.2Sin's appeal
o 2.3Rising mass support
o 2.4More military defections
o 2.5The capture of Channel 4
o 2.6Marcos orders not to shoot
o 2.7Two inaugurations
o 2.8Marcos' departure
 3Aftermath
 4Legacy
 5Timeline
 6See also
 7References
 8Bibliography

Background and history[edit]

Main article: Ferdinand Marcos

Ferdinand Marcos became the longest-serving Philippine president for 20 years.

President Ferdinand E. Marcos was elected president in 1965, defeating incumbent President
Diosdado Macapagal by a margin of 52 to 43 percent. During this time, Marcos was very active
in the initiation of public works projects and the intensification of tax collections. Marcos and his
government claimed that they "built more roads than all his predecessors combined, and more
schools than any previous administration".[7] Amidst charges from the opposition party of vote
buying and a fraudulent election, President Marcos was reelected in the Philippine presidential
election, 1969, this time defeating Sergio Osmeña, Jr. by 61 to 39 percent.
President Marcos' second term for the presidency was marred by allegations by the
opposition Liberal Party of widespread graft and corruption. According to leftistswho rioted
during the First Quarter Storm, the increasing disparity of wealth between the very wealthy and
the very poor that made up the majority of the Philippines' population led to a rise in crime and
civil unrest around the country. These factors, including the formation of the New People's
Army and a bloody Muslim separatist movement in the southern island of Mindanao led by
the Moro National Liberation Front, contributed to the rapid rise of civil discontent and unrest in
the country.[citation needed]
A constitutional convention, which had been called for in 1970 to replace the Commonwealth
era 1935 Constitution, continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of
martial law. The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of
government from presidential to parliamentary and allowing President Marcos to stay in power
beyond 1973. The constitution was approved by 95% of the voters in the Philippine
constitutional plebiscite.
President Marcos was barred from running for a third term as president in 1973. On September
23, 1972, by virtue of a presidential proclamation (No. 1081), he declared martial law, citing
rising civil disobedience as a justification. Through this decree and after obtaining voters consent
through the plebiscite, President Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the
Philippines' military and the authority to suppress and abolish the freedom of speech,
the freedom of the press, and many other civil liberties. President Marcos also dissolved
the Philippine Congress and shut down media establishments critical of the Marcos
Administration.[8]
President Marcos also ordered the immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics. Among
those arrested were Senate President Jovito Salonga, Senator Jose Diokno, and Senator Benigno
Aquino Jr., who Marcos linked with the Communists[9] and the man who was groomed by the
opposition to succeed President Marcos after the 1973 elections.[8] On November 25, 1977, the
Military Commission charged Aquino along with his two co-accused, NPA leaders Bernabe
Buscayno(Commander Dante) and Lt. Victor Corpuz, guilty of all charges and sentenced them to
death by firing squad.[10]
In 1978, while still in prison, Aquino founded his political party, Lakas ng Bayan (abbreviated
"LABAN"; English: People's Power) to run for office in the Interim Batasang
Pambansa (Parliament). All LABAN candidates lost, including Ninoy himself.
With practically all of his political opponents were arrested and in exile, President Marcos' pre-
emptive declaration of martial law in 1972 and the ratification of his new constitution by more
than 95% of voters enabled Marcos to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to
power for another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. In a Cold War context,
Marcos retained the support of the United States through Marcos' promise to stamp out
communism in the Philippines and by assuring the United States of its continued use of military
and naval bases in the Philippines.[8]
Assassination of Ninoy Aquino[edit]
Main article: Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Despite warnings from the military and other First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, Ninoy Aquino was
determined to return to the Philippines. Asked what he thought of the death threats, Ninoy
Aquino responded, "The Filipino is worth dying for."[11]
At that time, Ninoy's passport had expired and the renewal had been denied. Ninoy therefore
acquired a plan to acquire a fake passport with the help of Rashid Lucman,[12][13] The passport
carried the alias Marcial Bonifacio (Marcial for martial law and Bonifacio for Fort Bonifacio, his
erstwhile prison).[14]
On August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the United States, Aquino was assassinated as he
disembarked from a Taiwanese commercial flight at the Manila International Airport (which was
later renamed in Aquino's honor).[15] His assassination shocked and outraged many Filipinos,
most of whom had lost confidence in the Marcos administration. The event led to more
suspicions about the government, triggering non-cooperation among Filipinos that eventually led
to outright civil disobedience.[16] It also shook the Marcos Administration, which was by then
deteriorating due, in part, to Marcos' worsening health and ultimately fatal illness (lupus
erythematosus).[citation needed]
The assassination of Ninoy Aquino caused the Philippines economy to deteriorate even further,
and the government plunged further into debt. By the end of 1983, the Philippines was in an
economic recession, with the economy contracting by 6.8%.[17]
In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, led by Chief Justice Enrique Fernando, to launch an
investigation into Aquino's assassination. Despite the commission's conclusions, Cardinal Jaime
Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and rejected the
government's views on the assassination.
Calls for election[edit]
Main article: Philippine presidential election, 1986
On November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government,[18] Marcos suddenly announced
that a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the
regular presidential election schedule, to legitimize his control over the country.[19] The snap
election was legalized with the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg. 883 (National Law No. 883) by
the Marcos-controlled unicameral congress called the Regular Batasang Pambansa.[20]
The growing opposition movement encouraged Ninoy Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, to run
for the presidency. United Opposition (UNIDO) leader, Salvador Laurel, who earlier filed his
candidacy as an official UNIDO candidate for the presidency, gave way to Cory after a political
deal which was later reneged by Cory after the election. Salvador Laurel eventually ran as Cory
Aquino's running mate for vice-president under the United Opposition (UNIDO) party. Marcos
ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentinoas his running mate under the Kilusang Bagong
Lipunan (KBL) party.[20]
1986 election[edit]
Main article: Philippine presidential election, 1986
The elections were held on February 7, 1986.[19] The official election canvasser, the Commission
on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner. The final tally of the COMELEC had
Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. On the other hand,
based on returns of 70% of the precincts[21] of the National Movement for Free
Elections (NAMFREL), an accredited poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,835,070 votes
against Marcos' 7,053,068 votes.[22]
This electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election
results, culminating in the walkout of 30 COMELEC computer technicians to protest the
deliberate manipulation of the official election results to favor Ferdinand Marcos. The walkout
was considered as one of the early "sparks" of the People Power Revolution. The walkout also
served as an affirmation to allegations of vote-buying, fraud, and tampering of election results by
the KBL.[23][24]
Because of reports of alleged fraud, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
through Cardinal Ricardo Vidal issued a statement condemning the elections. The United States
Senate also passed a resolution stating the same condemnation.[19] US president Ronald
Reagan issued a statement calling the fraud reports as "disturbing" but he said that there was
fraud "on both sides" of the Philippine election.[25][26] In response to the protests, COMELEC
claimed that Marcos with 53 percent won over Aquino. However, NAMFREL countered that the
latter won over Marcos with 52 percent of votes.[27]
On February 15, Marcos was proclaimed by COMELEC and Batasang Pambansa as the winner
amidst the controversy. All 50 opposition members of the Parliament walked out in protest. The
Filipino people repudiated the results, asserting that Aquino was the real victor. Both "winners"
took their oath of office in two different places, with Aquino gaining greater mass support.
Aquino also called for coordinated strikes and mass boycott of the media and businesses owned
by Marcos' cronies. As a result, the crony banks, corporations, and media were hit hard, and their
shares in the stock market plummeted to record levels.[citation needed]
Vidal's declaration[edit]
Cardinal Vidal, after the result of the snap election, issued a declaration in lieu of the Philippine
Church hierarchy stating that when "a government does not of itself freely correct the evil it has
inflicted on the people then it is our serious moral obligation as a people to make it do so." The
declaration also asked "every loyal member of the Church, every community of the faithful, to
form their judgment about the February 7 polls" and told all the Filipinos, "Now is the time to
speak up. Now is the time to repair the wrong. The wrong was systematically organized. So must
its correction be. But as in the election itself, that depends fully on the people; on what they are
willing and ready to do."[28]

Events[edit]
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