Militant groups lament: No genuine change 30 years after Edsa

Protesters scuffle with members of the Philippine National Police as they try to hold a rally at the EDSA Shrine on the 30th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution. ALEXIS CORPUZ”

Militant groups said that 30 years after the toppling of the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, no genuine change has been achieved in the country and that the issues which hounded the dictatorship continue to persist in the current administration.

Militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) staged a protest march in Edsa on Thursday yet were not allowed to reach the People Power Monument, the site where the commemoration activities were held.

Bayan chairperson Carol Araullo said that commemorating Edsa has been reduced to a “hollow ritual” as “elite democracy” continues to this day.

“Edsa had been reduced to [a] spectacle during the Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino regime. After 30 years, it is now a hollow ritual under the regime of her son, Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III. What was restored 30 years ago and continues to this day are only the trappings of elite democracy — periodic elections, Congress and a Constitution that guarantees civil liberties. The people demand more than that. They demand genuine freedom and democracy that goes beyond the mere holding of elections,” Araullo said in a statement.

READ: IN PHOTOS: Edsa People Power Revolution through the years

She said that Filipinos should unite to “bring about fundamental changes in society and in government, not just a change in leadership.”

Women’s organization Gabriela, which was formed during the Marcos years, also scored the way the Edsa People Power revolt is being commemorated.

Gabriela secretary-general Joms Salvador said: “It saddens us that in the past several days, news about the Edsa 1 celebration is more on the traffic, road closures and rerouting due to the lavish celebration rather than on remembering and extolling the Filipino people’s heroism and collective action through People Power.”

She said that Filipinos should be reminded that the “struggle for justice for people whose rights were violated with impunity” is the essence of the historic event.

Salvador also said that human rights violations persist 30 years after the fall of the dictatorship.

“It is ironic that many of the issues hurled against the Marcos dictatorship are the same issues now hurled against Noynoy Aquino… The current Aquino regime is a disgrace to the legacy of the valiant women and men who fought the Marcos dictatorship and sacrificed their lives for democracy and justice,” Salvador said.

On its part, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) said that the Edsa People Power revolution has been reduced to a mere “populist romanticism.”

“It is time to be honest for once. Instead of the populist romanticism, we need to take stock and really change things fundamentally. Instead of cynical accommodations to the poor and exploited and hypocritical showcasing of exceptions rather than the rule, it is time for redress if not karma. The people must take back the power. Over time,” NUPL secretary-general Atty. Edre Olalia said. CDG

READ: Struggle for democracy relived at Edsa Experiential Museum

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