It was a virtual sea of yellow. People, young and old are commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the only true EDSA Revolution – People Power 1. It is nice to see the representatives of the youth spearheaded by former Sen. Butch Aquino, joining the pioneer figures of EDSA 1, led by then AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos.
I am writing this from the point of view of a then young mother 25 years ago. Twenty five years ago, my youngest son was barely two years old. Back when Cardinal Sin and Butch Aquino were calling all people to support Enrile and Ramos, hubby and I were thinking, “What will happen after this? What would be the future of our kids?” Twenty five years is a long time, we’ve gone through so many Presidents from Pres. Corazon Aquino, Pres. Fidel Ramos, Pres. Erap Estrada, Pres. Gloria Arroyo and now Pres. PNoy.
A lot of people are asking, has there been any change since EDSA 1? After EDSA, corruption is still there. After EDSA, same people and faces are still in the government. Those figures who were in power under the Marcos regime are the same people who are still lurking around. Are we forgetting the fact that the peaceful revolution that was EDSA People Power brought us back our democracy?
The youth of today are reaping the fruits of what the youth 25 years ago have started. The dramatization of the symbolic “salubong” of the military and the civilians was so touching – the religious giving flowers to the military, the image of Mama Mary prominently displayed right in front of the cannons, a sea of people waving rosaries and offering flowers.
We are on the road to realizing our dream of a beautiful Philippines. It wouldn’t take one man alone to do this, we need to unite once again, be one. They always say, in unity there is strength. We should move on, get back on our own two feet. The spirit of EDSA 1 will and should serve as a reminder that we need to go on, forget enmities and start again. We should support PNoy in his anti-corruption efforts. And if we are sincere, we could do it.
We need to look back to remind us that there is still a daunting task at hand so we could all move forward to realize our dream of a better Philippines.
(photos courtesy of a friend, Vince Parmisano)
Dreams And Escapes 
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