Edsa at 40: An occasion of hope, says activist priest
Acknowledging the prevailing disappointment over the impact of the People Power Revolution, after the Marcos family’s restoration became its outcome 40 years down the road, a Church leader on Monday urged keepers of the Edsa flame to not lose hope in sustaining the spirit of that 1986 uprising.
“Forty years after Edsa, many feel sad. Why does it seem like nothing is happening and the wheel of fortune just keeps turning,” activist priest Robert Reyes said, speaking as Clergy for Good Governance convener.
In a press conference on Monday, Reyes announced preparations for the third Trillion Peso March on Feb. 25 to mark the 40th anniversary of the civilian-backed military uprising that ousted Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“It is not they or them. It is all of us, and let us look at ourselves and examine why are we the way we are now. The power that is supposed to be ours has been broken, smashed and manipulated by a whole complex reality,” he said.
Still, Reyes urged the public to remain hopeful, as he noted that the Catholic faith speaks of the concept of “spes non confundit” from Romans 5:5 of the Holy Bible, or Latin for “hope does not disappoint.”
“Hopefully, the upcoming celebration will once again rouse the public. Whatever your color, whoever you love and are fighting for, set that aside. Look at our motherland … If we reduce our aspirations to a personality, to one person, we have a problem,” the priest said.
Target: Dynasties
In an earlier press conference regarding the Trillion Peso March, Reyes and Fr. Tito Caluag of Caritas Philippines said the Church—rather than call for the resignation of either President Marcos or Vice President Sara Duterte—aims to “exhaust all means” in holding officials accountable amid the still unresolved corruption scandal.
Reyes emphasized that the Church was not “soft-pedaling” in holding Mr. Marcos and Duterte accountable. He said the rally instead sought to help “overthrow,” above all, political dynasties in the country, including those of the two top officials.
“What we are seeking to overthrow now is the system that was born after getting rid of [Marcos Sr.],” he said. “We got rid of a dictator but the dictatorship spawned a more complex system of dictatorship. It’s the dynasties.”
Edsa Shrine Rector Fr. Jerome Secillano, who joined Reyes in Monday’s press conference, said “We need to remember what happened 40 years ago to educate our countrymen, especially the youth.”
‘Privileged position’
Mr. Marcos’ father and namesake was elected twice as president, in 1965 and 1969, before he extended his rule through the declaration of martial law in 1972 until his ouster by the Edsa uprising.
The older Marcos’ regime was marked by plunder and human rights violations. His son, however, has sought to avoid a reprise of that history despite his continuing tribute to Marcos Sr., even telling Australian media in a 2024 interview that he had no “impulses toward authoritarianism.”
“But now that Bongbong is at the helm of power, I will repeat it: You are in a very privileged position of doing something right,” Reyes said. “Maybe you can right the wrong that your father did.”
“I think, at this point … it is not only Marcos, it is all the dynasties, who really would want to preserve the system of government that we have so that there will be no change,” Reyes added.
The passage of an antipolitical dynasty law is among the 21 priority measures of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council that President Marcos approved last week.
