27/02/2026
๐ช๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก:
๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฌ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
Today is February 25, 2026. Forty years ago, ordinary Filipinos โ not soldiers, not seasoned revolutionaries, not people with anything particularly exceptional about them except the fullness of what they believed โ stood on a stretch of highway in Metro Manila and stopped a dictatorship with nothing but their bodies and their refusal to move. The tanks turned back. The Philippines breathed again. And the world called it a miracle.
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. A decision made by individual people, alone in their homes, before they knew how many others would come โ who chose to treat their own presence as consequential. That distinction matters enormously, because miracles cannot be repeated. ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป.
For most students today, EDSA is a chapter in a book we had to memorize for an exam. It is a long weekend. A black-and-white photograph that feels disconnected from the weight of our tuition fees, the heat of our classrooms, the quiet exhaustion of trying to build a future in a country that sometimes seems to have already decided who gets one and who doesnโt. The fatigue is real. And underneath the fatigue is a question that nobody asks out loud but almost everyone feels: ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ?
That question deserves an honest answer โ not a ceremonial one.
โ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฆโ
The 1987 Constitution, drafted in the immediate aftermath of Martial Law by people who had lived through what unchecked power does, was one of the most progressive founding documents in Southeast Asian history. It enshrined human rights, limited executive authority, and contained a provision so morally clear that its non-enforcement for forty years is itself a kind of scandal: the mandate, in Article II, Section 26, to prohibit political dynasties.
๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ โ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐
๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
We ousted one dynasty in 1986 and built a democracy in which dynasties became the norm. Today, the poorest provinces in the Philippines remain under the control of the same surnames, generation after generation. The structural conditions that made Martial Law possible โ the capture of institutions, the manufactured dependency of the poor on politically connected patrons, the narrowing of who gets to serve and who is asked to simply wait โ persist, not in the form of tanks, but in the quieter, more permanent architecture of inherited power.
๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ. ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ถ๐.
This is not a reason for despair. It is a reason for clarity. Because what EDSA proved โ conclusively, in front of the entire world โ is that the architecture can be challenged. That it is not permanent.
๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ.
โ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆโ
Across the campuses of the PHINMA Education Network, there are students right now who are the first in their families to go to college. Students from Cagayan de Oro and Dagupan, from Araullo and La Union, from Cebu and Iloilo โ carrying the investment of parents who worked double shifts, skipped meals, and made the kind of quiet sacrifices that never appear in any history book but are no less real for it.
These students did not come from power. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป โ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐.
That decision is EDSA. Not the event itself, but the spirit underneath it โ the insistence, against every reasonable discouragement, that the future is not fixed.
What student councils do, at their best, is exactly what People Power was: a refusal to accept that institutions belong only to those who already hold them. A claim, made collectively and without apology, that the people most affected by a decision have the right to shape it.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ถ๐.
People Power isnโt a historical event to be commemorated, but a civic habit we simply forgot to use.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ โ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐,โ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ปโ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐.
โ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฆโ
On this 40th anniversary, the question is not whether we honor EDSA. Of course we do. The question is what kind of honoring we choose. There is the honoring that places 1986 behind glass โ reverential, distant, safe. And there is the honoring that takes what happened seriously enough to continue it.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐.
The students of this alliance are not asked to stand in front of tanks. They are asked to do something that is, in its own way, just as demanding: to stay engaged when engagement is inconvenient. To raise their hand when silence would be easier. To file the complaint, write the resolution, cast the informed vote, and refuse โ quietly, consistently โ the cynicism that says nothing changes because nothing can.
Things change. We know this. We have a forty-year-old photograph of it.
What EDSA gave this generation is not a finished country.
๐๐ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ.
Proof that ordinary people, when they decide their presence matters, can alter the course of things that seemed immovable.
The revolution is not behind us. It never was.
๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ปโ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
Forty years ago, they showed up. They did not know it would work. They came anyway.
Now it is our turn. And unlike them, we already know it can work.
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฝ.
โ
Words by: Louie N. Figueroa, SWU PHINMA
