Marcos declares February 24 a holiday in celebration of Edsa People Power Revolution

REVOLUTION LANDMARK Workers of the Department of Public Works and Highways spruce up the People Power Monument, the 1986 revolution landmark on Edsa in Quezon City, on February 25, 2022, for the 36th-anniversary celebration of the ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared Friday, February 24, a special non-working day to commemorate the Edsa People Power Revolution, Malacañang announced Thursday evening.

The historic event is commemorated every February 25, a declared special non-working day. This year’s 37th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution falls on a Saturday.

“[T]o enable our countrymen to avail of the benefits of a longer weekend pursuant to the principle of holiday economics, the celebration of EDSA People Power Revolution Anniversary may be moved from 25 February 2023 (Saturday) to 24 February 2023 (Friday), provided that the historical significance of the EDSA People Power Revolution is maintained,” states Marcos’ Proclamation No. 167, signed on February 23.

READ: People Power did not just happen at Edsa

Marcos also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to issue an appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector.

The world-renowned 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution is a bloodless uprising that gathered millions of Filipinos along the main arteries of Metro Manila which led to the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of the present Chief Executive.

READ: Edsa People Power after 36 years: Who played key roles? (Part one)

The assassination of former Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983, sparked widespread demonstrations which served as among the catalysts for the revolution that clamored for a change in government.

READ: 36 years later: The key figures in Edsa People Power (Part two)

KGA