MANILA, Philippines — The commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on February 25 will be more meaningful this year as it would coincide with calls to preserve the 1987 Constitution, several groups said on Wednesday.
According to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary-General Mong Palatino, the Edsa People Power anniversary is especially important this year because it has a “more urgent theme.”
READ: Redeeming the promise of Edsa
“Mas meaningful ang dahilan ngayon dahil ang tema hindi lang commemoration ng Edsa kundi, ang nais sana ng mga grupo ay labanan ang Cha-cha (Charter change). Iyon ang urgent issue na nagbigkis sa maraming grupo,” Palatino told INQUIRER.net.
(The reason is more meaningful now because the theme is not just the commemoration of Edsa, it is also that groups want to oppose Cha-cha. That’s the urgent issue that binds many groups.)
Meanwhile, the Akbayan Party said that it will also protest moves to amend the country’s principal Charter on the days leading to the People Power Anniversary.
“As we honor 38 years since Edsa, we will broadcast our unified stance against Cha-cha loud and clear, reverberating powerfully across the nation. From the country’s north down to the south, Charter change will be opposed and exposed as a fraud,” Akbayan Party President Rafaela David was quoted as saying in Akbayan’s statement.
David alleged that the proposed Cha-cha is simply a “Trojan horse” that is only aimed at perpetuating those in power.
“We will not allow the erosion of our democratic institutions by those who seek to benefit from it,” she added.
Akbayan is set to hold a series of protest actions against Cha-cha, including one in front of the Commission on Elections office on February 22, it said.
As for their planned mass gathering during the People Power Anniversary, Palatino told INQUIRER.net that groups such as Bayan, Akbayan Party, religious groups, and others could gather a total of 5,000 participants at Edsa Corner Ortigas in front of the Edsa Shrine on February 25.
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The Philippine National Police, on the other hand, previously announced plans to deploy around 6,000 police officers in Metro Manila and 2,500 officers in Cebu to secure gatherings on February 25.
The Edsa People Power Anniversary is not a holiday this year, as stated under Proclamation No. 368 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on October 11, 2023.