EDSA hero calls for end to bickering

Former senator Gregorio Honasan II, one of the prominent figures of the 1986 EDSA People Power uprising, called for a stop to political bickering, as the country commemorates today the 38th anniversary of the event which toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

- EMMANUEL TUPAS

In an interview yesterday, Honasan said the legacy of the uprising is still relevant with the current political climate today.

"It is very relevant because the call now is for unity, an end to too much partisan politics," he said.

Honasan was an Army colonel when he and then defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile led a mutiny against the elder Marcos, the father of the country's current leader.

Hundreds of thousands of people joined the uprising, which led to Marcos' ouster from power and the installation of Corazon Aquino to the Philippine presidency.

In later years, Honasan would lead several coup attempts against Aquino. He was later given amnesty by former president Fidel Ramos.

For the former senator, the country's national leaders should refrain from engaging in a word war, as partisan politics will not solve the problems that most Filipinos face such as access to basic necessities: food, clothing, shelter, education and timely information.

"We have no time to engage in too much politics. We can understand the democratic space to debate and to discuss, but to spend so much time worrying about the next elections that is counterproductive for us," Honasan said.

It is for this reason that he opted to skip the activities by cause-oriented groups and opposition figures at the EDSA Shrine in Quezon City today, saying that he might be perceived as taking sides.

"I was in EDSA for something, not against something," Honasan said. "If I may be forced to take sides, I will take the side of the Filipino people."

Instead, he will commemorate the anniversary at the Bible Baptist Church and Ministries in nearby Barangay Tatalon.

Even if the younger Marcos is the current chief executive, Honasan does not consider the uprising a failure.

He said the majority of Filipinos have chosen Marcos as the country's president in a democratic election.