Philippine protesters celebrate People Power revolt that overthrew Marcos clan 37 years ago
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Philippine protesters staging a demonstration at the People Power Monument in Quezon city, Metro Manila, on Feb 25, 2023.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
MANILA – Philippine protesters held a noisy rally on Saturday for the People Power revolution that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s dictator father and sent the family into exile 37 years ago.
It was the first commemoration of the uprising since President Marcos took office in June 2022.
As leftist rock music blared over a loudspeaker, hundreds of protesters – including survivors of the elder Marcos’ martial law crackdown that led to the killing, torture and imprisonment of thousands of political foes and critics – marched on the People Power monument in Manila in memory of the brutal era.
Some chanted, “Marcos, Duterte all the same, fascist dictators”, in reference to former president Rodrigo Duterte, as about 200 policemen with shields stood by.
Sister Mary John Mananzan, a veteran rights activist, urged protesters to “remain vigilant” following the return of the Marcoses to power.
Nearly four decades on from the toppling of the elder Marcos, Mr Julio Montinola, 53, said that the challenge was to keep the “message and spirit” of the uprising alive.
“Unfortunately, it did not resonate with the next generation,” said Mr Montinola.
“The bottom line is he (President Marcos) was elected by the people.”
Thirteen-year-old Kyle Navera said he has heard “bad things happened” to people who opposed the elder Marcos.
“It looks like (President Marcos) is starting (to become like his dad). I hope he does not go down that path,” Kyle said, referring to the ongoing deadly drug war that was started by Mr Duterte.
President Marcos sent a large wreath of white flowers to the monument, which is near the city’s main thoroughfare where the bloodless uprising happened.
In a statement, he recalled “those times of tribulation and how we came out of them united and stronger as a nation”.
“I once again offer my hand of reconciliation to those with different political persuasions to come together as one in forging a better society,” he said.
It was the first commemoration of the uprising since Mr Ferdinand Marcos took office in June 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
As the ailing elder Marcos desperately clung to power in 1986, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the capital for four days in a military-backed uprising against his regime.
The clan, including President Marcos, fled the presidential palace on Feb 25 on US military aircraft with bags and boxes stuffed with jewels, gold and cash.
After the elder Marcos’ death in Hawaii in 1989, the family members returned to the Philippines to rebuild their political power base and rehabilitate their name.
Their efforts culminated with President Marcos’ victory in the May 2022 presidential election, following a massive social media misinformation campaign whitewashing the family’s history.
Ms Cristina Palabay, of human rights alliance Karapatan, fears that the Marcos clan is still determined to cleanse its name and hold on to its “ill-gotten wealth”, which is estimated to be in the billions of dollars. AFP
