My EDSA story

The four-day People Power began in the afternoon of Feb. 22, 1986. I was there, with both rival camps, in Cebu and in Manila, the first day, a Saturday.

- TONY LOPEZ

I covered the Cebu anti-crony boycott rally of defeated presidential candidate Corazon Cojuangco Aquino.

After her rally, I took a taxi to buy a guitar. The driver told me good and cheap guitars were sold near the Cebu airport. On the way to the terminal, I heard on radio that Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces vice chief of staff Gen. Fidel V. Famos had staged a rebellion against strongman Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

Cory also heard about Enrile's "withdrawal" from Marcos. The Carmelite nuns quickly sheltered Cory into their monastery in Cebu. They prayed and prayed and prayed. At 9 p.m., Cory placed a call to Johnny: "Is there anything we can do for you?" "Nothing," the defense chief snapped back, politely, "just pray for us."

At the PAL counter, I told the manager to get me a seat on the earliest flight back to Manila, the 9 p.m. flight. With me was Boy del Mundo of United Press International (UPI). We landed in Manila at about 10 p.m.

At Camp Aguinaldo, we were surprised that its commander welcomed us with open arms. At the Department of National Defense (DND) headquarters, we joined the press conference of Enrile and Ramos. Enrile claimed he cheated for Marcos, by 300,000 votes in Region II, to win the Feb. 6, 1986 snap election.