We celebrate the meaning of People Power as we remember all those who gave up their lives to set the nation free.
If you lived through the dictatorship under Martial Law, you come out with a keen sense of justice and fairness because their essence was the first one lost during the dictatorship.
It is a feeling of being in a cage, though one is free to roam around. Ibon may may layang lumipad, kulungin mo at umiiyak, the lyrics of the song Bayan Ko still clutches our hearts, evokes poignant memories of the 1970’s.
The open campus of Silliman University, without fences, full of student activism, awareness and involvement in national issues, linkages with rights groups, and the sense that somehow demonstrations, rallies, and collective defiance against the government which no longer fulfilled its public duty would make a difference. Students were at the forefront to effect the change they desired.
The overwhelming wishes of the majority gained momentum after the assassination of the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. at the tarmac of the international airport, where people were chanting: “Tama na!”.
The saturation point had been reached, and by the grace of God, a peaceful revolution ousted the dictator.
Celebrating EDSA requires the review of the past and recent events. What did we do with our freedom?
Filipinos are religious, whatever denomination, most believe in obedience to God’s will and perseverance, united in the face of adversity. It takes the majority to commit to responsible use of the freedoms restored. It takes one’s commitment to rebuke evil in its face, and to fulfill civic duties, such as paying taxes, and reporting anomalies.
Reforms have to start somewhere, and the impeachment of the Chief Justice must be done in accordance with law.
But sad to say, it could have been different if it was a judge who was conducting the hearing.
While Presiding Officer Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile is a Harvard Law graduate, he is a politician, and sometimes, he conducts the proceedings like a Senate investigation in aid of legislation. Too many collateral issues, and too many manifestations.
But if that is what it takes to take the high road, then we have to do it.
All because of EDSA, it taught us a lesson that “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing!”
Responsible use of freedom will ensure and protect it from oppressors, but with each freedom comes great responsibility.
It is said: “Your freedom ends where my nose begins!” and “Freedom is not free”; you have to make a conscious choice, to exercise it, and nurture it in your own sphere of influence.
Are teachers good examples to their students? Are parents good examples to their children? Are priests and pastors good examples to their flock? Are politicians good examples to their constituents?
The culture of freedom is practiced and seen in how people deal with each other, in high and low places of our society.
An indicator of the state of development of a country is in how it deals with those in the lower echelons of the society, the poor, the unemployed, the sick, the needy, the calamity victims, the insane, and the disenfranchised.
If more people are for people, living as a daily commitment to help those in need, then we will have a better, more united society. That is what the spirit of EDSA was all about.
And the gauge of one’s level of personal morality is capsulized in Art. 19 of the Civil Code: “Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.”
Let us remember and keep alive the spirit of EDSA.
