Remembering People Power

Today marks the 39th anniversary of what has come to be known as the EDSA People Power Revolution, an uprising like the world had not seen before.

- DOREEN G. YU

More than a generation has grown up after People Power. Those of us old enough to have been present during those four days in February 1986 remember what happened, although some of the details have become fuzzy with the passing of time.

I remember the apprehension and fear of those first hours when the news broke — of mass arrests, of Ramos and Enrile (who, despite then believing "I will be dead within the hour" not only survived, but lived to celebrate his 101st birthday last Feb. 14) holed up in Camp Aguinaldo, of imminent military action. Past midnight came the call of Cardinal Sin over Radio Veritas — which would be everyone's lifeline for information over the next days — to "support our two good friends at the camp," and apologizing, as only a Filipino would at such a time, "I am sorry to disturb you at this late hour, but it is precisely at a time like this that we most need your support for our two good friends."

All the details of that time in our history are recorded in the People Power book — "The Greatest Democracy Ever Told," published by the Fr. James Reuter SJ Foundation. I dusted off my copy last week and reread the accounts of those who took part in that exercise of courage — officials, soldiers, priests, housewives (including one who thought she had walked out "from my marriage, so I thought at the time," having gone against her husband who wanted her to stay at home, saying "you have to think of the children"), office workers, students, business people, vendors — literally, The People.