February 24, 2006

On the 20th anniversary of the EDSA I Uprising:
ANOTHER PEOPLE POWER IN THE OFFING

It was from February 22 to 25, 1986, when almost one million protesters called for the ouster of a dictator, a corrupt official and a human rights violator. It was on these days, more popularly known as EDSA I/People Power I that the regime of Ferdinand E. Marcos conceded to the people’s clamor for meaningful change, social justice, respect for human rights and good governance. It was a spontaneous outpouring of people’s dissent that transformed into unified action.

After 20 years, the ideals for change remain elusive as the nation was dragged into worsened corruption, poverty and more human rights violations by the post-Marcos regimes.

The administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) brazenly participated in massive electoral fraud, alongside with piling allegations of corruption and political assassinations. Poverty has escalated with unemployment, underemployment, landlessness and lack of basic social services. Prices of basic commodities and services are ever-increasing, especially with the Reformed Value Added Tax (RVAT). The very issues that led the people to topple the Marcos dictatorship are evident two decades after People Power I.

Trapped in the crisis of legitimacy, GMA now tries to survive through the proposed Charter Change (Cha-Cha), which makes promises of social reform. But the GMA regime is hell-bent on outdoing the processes of Cha-Cha and is now proposing the Constituent Assembly, which will totally rob the people of the authority to decide what needs to be changed. It must be clear to us that GMA’s maneuvers aim to perpetuate her stay in power and to create an avenue for the placing of anti-people economic provisions that favor foreign interest and the sell-out of our national patrimony. Indeed, the nation is in dire straits that the occasion for another people power is in the offing.

While it is true that the nation is confronted with the similar issues before and after People Power, it is NOT because People Power failed. It is because of the inutility of past and present administrations to address the same issues. People Power failed due to the futility of changing only the president while remaining in the same rotten system.

In the face of this current national crisis, a people’s uprising should therefore not end with toppling a president who has lost the moral ascendancy to govern. The gains of People Power should be protected through active participation in the processes, systems, structures, directions and policies in governance. Ultimately, People Power should not last for several days — instead, it should be a lifetime commitment to ensure that the rights and welfare of the people are protected and advanced.

At the rate the GMA administration is leading the country, it is imperative to launch another people power while consciously considering the lessons from the past upheavals. It is in this light that more groups are now pushing for the establishment of a Transition Council to be composed of sectoral representatives. This council will work for the implementation of immediate reforms before a credible election will be held.

The ideals we set forth 20 years ago through the historic People Power I live. The fight for meaningful change, social justice and good governance continues. #

Reference: Chie Galvez, Tontongan Ti Umili Secretary General