Sen. Grace Poe. RICHARD A. REYES/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Thirty years ago, Sen. Grace Poe was a 17-year-old student following the events on Edsa, her spokesman, Valenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, said in a text message on Thursday.
“Sen. Poe was in their house in San Juan during People Power. Like thousands of Filipinos then, she was keenly observing the events as they transpired on EDSA. Her family was also praying for a peaceful resolution,” Gatchalian said.
While she was not among those who took to the streets and marched on Edsa to protest the Marcos dictatorship then, Poe recognizes the people who gave their lives and fought for the freedom that Filipinos are now enjoying.
“Sa mga naglaan ng buhay at nakipaglaban sa mahabang panahon upang mangyari ang EDSA Revolution, utang natin sa kanila ang kalayaang tinatamasa natin ngayon,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Subalit hindi pa tapos ang ating pakikipaglaban,” the senator said.
Three decades after the people power revolt, Poe said much has yet to be done for the country to be totally free from hunger, poverty, lack of education, and human rights abuses, among others.
“Malaking hamon sa mga lider ng susunod na administrasyon na bigyang katuparan ang pagkamit sa mga kalayaang ito,” she said.
“Itutuloy natin ang Diwa ng EDSA. Kasama natin sa labang ito ang mga kabataan, ang buong sambayanan.”
“Naniniwala tayo sa kagalingan ng mga kabataan na maging bahagi sa pagbuo ng isang bansang maunlad, malaya at makatao para sa lahat ng Pilipino. Kung sama-sama at nagkakaisa, ang labang ito ay mapagtatagumpayan,” the senator added.
Poe, who was abandoned as an infant, has long been rumored to be an illegitimate child of the late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, with former actress Rosemarie Sonora.
But Sonora’s sister and adoptive mother of the senator, veteran actress Susan Roces, ended all the rumors, saying her sister was never pregnant at the time Poe was born, in 1968.
READ: Susan Roces: Grace Poe not my sister’s daughter
Asked during a recent interview if Marcos’ son and namesake, Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., should apologize for what happened in 1986, Poe said: “Kasaysayan. Para sa akin ang paghihingi ng tawad ay galing sa puso, hindi naman nating puwedeng pilitin ang isang tao sa kanyang sariling paniniwala . Gayun pa man huwag nating kalilimutan din na importante din na makilala ang lahat ng panig tungkol dito.”
She pointed out however that there is already a law that provides compensation for victims of human rights abuses during that time.
“Dapat ipagpatuloy na kilalanin ng ating gobyerno at ng ating mga kababayan ang sakripisyo ng iba para matamo, matamasa natin ang ibang kalayaan,” Poe said.