WHENEVER WE SPEAK of EDSA, what image does your mind conjure up? Is it the symphony of the loud car horns and the kaleidoscope of brake lights? Or perhaps it’s the mosaic of commuters’ faces, each embedded with its own unique story, as they navigate the labyrinth of crowded sidewalks and bustling street vendors? 

For many of us born after the 1986 People Power Revolution, it is hard to imagine EDSA as the place where our nation’s destiny was sealed following a two-decade-long national nightmare, where the flame of our freedom was ignited against the backdrop of glistening yellow confetti and the unwavering spirit of a people so desperately yearning for change. Yet, amidst the unwieldy urban cacophony and the harshness of today’s political climate, it is nevertheless still essential to acknowledge the historical resonance embedded in EDSA’s asphalt, rocky though it may be. 

Today, treading on the hallowed ground where our fate as a nation was etched, we are asked to answer this question: Are we merely spectators to our past or custodians of the flame of justice and democracy? 

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to scale back the commemoration of his father’s ouster from power by neglecting to declare February 25 as a national holiday this year is no sick fluke. Rather, it is a deliberate act of historical erasure, a step further from his family’s previous attempts at historical revisionism. By neglecting to recognize February 25 as a national holiday, Marcos Jr. is attempting to rehabilitate a regime that brought suffering and misery to countless Filipinos. 

The audacity of the President to downplay the importance of this historical event is nothing short of appalling. It reflects not only his lack of remorse for his father’s atrocities during Martial Law but also his willingness to trample on the sacrifices of those who laid down their lives for our enduring democracy—the very same democracy that has brought him to Malacañang.  

In the face of such an audacious disdain for historical truth, it becomes even more crucial for Filipinos of all creeds and backgrounds to remain vigilant, to resist attempts at rewriting history, and to stand firm in defending the memory of those who fought for the restoration of our civil liberties and treasured democratic norms. Marcos Jr.’s decision should be condemned for what it is: a sinister attempt to distort our understanding of the past and to pave the way for the rehabilitation of a legacy steeped in tyranny and abuse. 

So today, all Filipinos should let the flame of EDSA burn bright as a living beacon and testament to our shared commitment to uphold the values of freedom, equality, and justice for all. We should not allow the memory of EDSA to remain frozen in the pages of history but allow it to be a dynamic force that will shape our present and our future. 

As the forces in power continue to shove down our throats their disingenuous attempts to revise the sacred 1987 Constitution through a fraudulent People’s Initiative, we must let them hear how loud our voices are and let them know that we are not going to allow their futile endeavor to dilute the strength of our collective power when we are united as a nation of dreamers and fighters.