Edsa ‘babies’ are now senators

MANILA, Philippines—They were only children when the Edsa People Power Revolution happened in 1986.

Twenty-eight years after, they have become senators calling for the same end to poverty that the revolution sought when it drove Ferdinand Marcos from power.

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV was only 8 years old when he and his family prepared sandwiches for distribution to participants of the Edsa People Power Revolution.

Aquino is a nephew of the late former President Corazon Aquino and the martyred Marcos foe, Benigno Aquino Jr.

“Those memories are with me today and in many ways, sacrificing for a greater cause still serves as my inspiration in public service,” Bam Aquino told the Inquirer.

Sen. Nancy Binay, 40, said she was on the Edsa highway when history happened.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, her father, was one of the first officers in charge that Cory Aquino appointed to replace local government officials after assuming the presidency.

“I was with my father, putting together packed meals for the supporters at Edsa,” Binay said in a text message.

A milestone

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, 41, whose father would become one of the first 24 senators in the first post-Edsa Congress, said he was still in first year high school at Xavier School when the Edsa uprising took place.

“I was not very politically active at that time but it was one of those events which stands out as a milestone in my political growth and awareness,” Angara said.

The three lawmakers released statements on the occasion of the Edsa anniversary indicating the revolution remains unfinished.

“The revolution to end poverty continues. More than ever, we need to unite to fulfill the full promise of Edsa,” Aquino said in his statement.

Angara said: “True democracy means freedom from the clutches of poverty, hunger, calamity and lack of jobs.”

“That is the challenge that continues to look for a response not just from us …  but from the whole country,” Angara said.

Binay said the Edsa revolution “served as an inspiration and model to many people aspiring for democracy and hungry for change around the world…”

“But Edsa is not yet finished.  It is still a work in progress as many of our countrymen remain mired in hunger, poverty and inequality,” she said.—Norman Bordadora