Philippine prelate urges youth to remember lessons of the EDSA People Power Revolution
The former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has reminded the youth to remember the history of the People Power Revolution of 1986, nearing its 39th anniversary.
Amid the spread of misinformation and fabricated stories, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in the northern part of the Philippines urged young people to seek truth and lessons from history books and those who lived through the Martial Law era and the People Power Revolution.
“In February 1986, we, your grandparents, stood for four days at the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City, between Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame," he said.
"We offered food and prayed the rosary to the soldiers who had deployed to disperse us. We sang Bayan Ko and slept on the streets. On February 25, 1986, the dictator and thief Ferdinand Marcos fled to Hawaii in exile. We ousted the dictator without violence and bloodshed,” Archbishop Villegas stated in a message sent to Radio Veritas Philippines.
The archbishop encouraged the youth and students to continue advocating for social change, guided by faith and strengthened by a deep sense of solidarity with others.
He also underlined the significance of standing up for what is right and refusing to ignore the wrongdoings of leaders or those in power.
“Archbishop Socrates loves you. I will not lie to you. I will not mislead you. I was there. I saw the corruption, torture, killings, and illegal arrests. That is what happened. The EDSA People Power was the response of our God-loving people to evil men and evil deeds. We must celebrate. This day is the holiday of the nameless millions of Filipino heroes of 1986. Do not forget,” he added.
The prelate specifically addressed Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, sharing his involvement in the People Power Revolution as the first Rector of the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace—commonly known as the EDSA Shrine in Manila Archdiocese—in 1986.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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