No freedom without protest Filipinos defy Marcos snub of People Power anniversary

MANILA – The Philippine capital’s busiest highway turned into a river of black shirts on Feb 25, as thousands of Filipinos took to the streets to mark 39 years since the People Power Revolution. The near-bloodless uprising in 1986 ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr, whose son now leads the nation.

For the second year in a row since he took office in June 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr excluded Feb 25 from the country’s list of official holidays. Critics say this is part of his government’s efforts to downplay the legacy of the 1986 revolution that ended his father’s 20-year rule.

Mr Marcos Sr’s rule – which included nine years of brutal martial law from 1972 to 1981 – was marred by massive corruption, media censorship, and the killings, torture and disappearances of government critics.

A series of non-violent demonstrations from Feb 22 to 25, 1986, as over two million Filipino civilians held peaceful protests, eventually led to the strongman’s ouster and restored democracy in the Philippines.

But 39 years later, the decision of his only son and namesake to designate the People Power anniversary as a “special non-working day” instead of a holiday has spurred opposition groups to organise a massive gathering to mark the date.

In a rare display of unity, Filipinos across the political spectrum – Catholic groups, members of the Liberal Party, left-leaning organisations and students – came together on Feb 25 to protest against what they perceived as efforts to revise history and reframe the roles of heroes and villains. As they gathered at the People Power Monument in Quezon City, north-east of Manila, they chanted: “Never forget, never again!”

Despite the day not being designated as a holiday, more than 50 schools and universities nationwide, most of them run by the Catholic