ILOILO City – Educators and schools are being urged to allow students to exercise academic freedom and utilize their campuses for alternative learning activities in observance of the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 15.
Despite the declaration by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that February 25 would be a special working holiday, the youth are being encouraged to commemorate the historic event.
“Let us allow students to freely discuss pressing issues today that trace back to problems of justice and impunity, such as the abuse of public funds and questions of impeachment,” a statement from the Kabataan party-list read.
The call aligns with its belief that empowering the youth to express themselves, organize, and assemble is in the nation’s best interest, and that this should begin in schools.
“We need a generation of Filipinos who critically understand the impact, limitations, and shortcomings of EDSA People Power. We are not here to glorify blindly but to recognize the continuing need for collective action to achieve genuine social change, not just a change in government. As the 2025 elections approach, we challenge the youth and students to not only recall history but to actively participate in making it, starting with discussions on the social realities we face every day, holiday or otherwise,” Kabataan’s statement continued.
It stressed that the fight against historical distortion and the need to honor the sacrifices of young Filipino martyrs who resisted the Marcos dictatorship should go beyond reinstating the holiday. While suspending the normal school routine may provide a day of reflection, it could also become a day of distractions and errands, it pointed out.
“The anniversary of the EDSA uprising may seem too distant for today’s generation to trigger reflection or curiosity, as we were not there. The decades of recognizing February 25 as a holiday cannot counter the disinformation campaign to rehabilitate the Marcos dictatorship and enable new forms of tyranny, from Duterte’s regime to the present,” the group added./PN
