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| Artcard by Katriel Viloria |
I remember the other day, I was riding an LRT-1 train heading towards UST, when I heard a father and his little daughter talking next to me. I did not want to listen so I decided to crank the music in my headphones higher. But, I stopped midway as I heard the daughter mention the EDSA Revolution.
The topic is nothing out of the ordinary since it was just but a few days away before its anniversary. I turned my music off as I waited for the father’s response.
“Ayan nanaman. Ang mga dilawan nag-pauso ng holiday na yan. Mas maginhawa ang buhay no’on, anak. 'Wag ka maniwala sa mga sinasabi sa mga media na yan.” The father responds with a serious look on his face.
“Totoo po ba?” The kid asked in a skeptical tone, and the father nodded. The girl must be around middle school and he did not look old enough to be living back when Martial Law was in full swing.
I can only sigh the other way, thinking if it is my duty to reprimand the man for misleading a child. I sat back and pondered. For the first time since the EDSA Revolution, this year will be the first year where February 25 is not declared as a holiday and I’m afraid that it is only a matter of time before it fades into history—- worse, into oblivion.
The EDSA Revolution is one of the pivotal events in our history, where 20 years of dictatorship came to a peaceful end thanks to the unity of the people. Its commemoration is our way to honor those who have suffered, and a reminder that when Filipinos gather for the same goal, they can do anything, even throw a dictator out of power.
Fast forward to the future, however, the son of the same dictator came back to power, with many followers backing him up. The day when we remember those who fell during the Martial Law was forgotten behind the propaganda and history revisionism, and it begins with the removal of the day of commemoration of the EDSA Revolution.
Like my encounter with the father and daughter, there are also many people who did not witness what happened back then. Even more so, the day that we commemorate the victims of Martial Law is our way to acknowledge that it did happen.
But unfortunately, we are not the victors of today and the history that we knew of will be forever changed. Fingers crossed and heads up -- we can still be the victors of today if we know how to utilize our weapons of knowledge.
