CARMMA (Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law) welcomes the filing of House Bill No. 9405 by Rep. Edcel Lagman to declare February 25, EDSA People Power anniversary, as a regular non-working holiday.
February 25, 1986 is a culmination of the people’s uprising against the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. People Power did not only happen on those three long but meaningful days in EDSA. It was a long, arduous struggle against tyranny and martial law that cost the lives of thousands of Filipinos.
To deny putting any kind of significance to this historical feat is a desperate low take by the Marcoses, in line with their systematic schemes distorting history. This is obviously meant to belittle the Filipino people’s efforts in ousting a tyrant and dictator.
With the son of the dictator Marcos in power, actively whitewashing the crimes committed by his father, family and cronies, it important to assert that the events that transpired during the Marcos dictatorship until February 25, 1986 should remain in our people’s collective memory, as we now struggle with the same forms of human rights violations, plunder of public funds, and oppressive policies that result in widespread and deep-seated poverty.
We continue to encourage thoughtful and meaningful commemoration of the People Power uprising, particularly by reliving the heroism and courage that martial law survivors, fighters, and defenders of people’s rights, civil liberties have shown all these years.
We hope that this bill will gather support in the same way that Republic Act 10368, or the Human Rights Violation Victims Recognition and Reparation Act, was enacted into law, and became an avenue to recognize the atrocities and rights violations that the Marcos Sr. dictatorship has committed against martial law victims and survivors.
We call on patriotic and democratic representatives in the Lower House, as well as the Senate, to support this bill all the way to its enactment into law. Let the people’s voice be heard through this, as we vow to continue to say, “never again, never forget!” – CARMMA (Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law)
