As we commemorate the People Power uprising and celebrate the gains we have won through our collective struggle against the Marcos dictatorship, it is also important to remember the sacrifices we have made to win back our democracy.
It is our duty to remember that the movement that drove the victory at EDSA was not merely a week-long noise barrage and peaceful rally in the streets of Manila, but a result of decades spent organizing communities, learning from a long tradition of activism, and asserting our rights against a draconian rule. The victory we have won was not won only in the streets of Manila, but in the fields of Maguindanao and Lanao, the seas of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.
The revolution was not won only with a “bloodless protest,” but with the blood, sweat, and tears of thousands of Filipinos, especially in the Bangsamoro where men and women have been killed in service of tyranny and oppression.
The peace we now hold is a fragile one, and it can only be kept through our continued vigilance and struggle. It is our responsibility to honor our people’s history, along with the sacrifices that our forefathers have made to build a future where our people can live in a just and lasting peace. This is the same future that we continue to build on the land our forefathers have tilled, and it is only through the honest work of our hands that peace and justice can continue to bloom.
