Have we failed EDSA?

What is the meaning of the People Power Revolution? The meaning of the 1987 Constitution?
Reflect; imagine what our roles to ensure a vibrant democracy?
Role how to materialize them?
First Peaker Cecilia Lopez-Oebanda
Story:
A 12 year-old girl at the time of Martial Law Declaration who idolized Marcos during her
youth. After the effects of the declaration, she became part of the NPA and rose up against the
government. On the mountains she had grown and had a family. Because of her fight against the
Marcos regime, she was separated on her first-born. On her 8-month pregnancy to her second
son, they were raided by the military force. Comm. Liway was arrested on this assault. Even on
such tragic event, she escaped through the help of Besting, who eventually died helping her. On
their course of escaping, she had recruited two young men, Carl and Joey, who both died, or shall
I state were mercy-killed in front of her since they are wounded, when they were cornered. She
was arrested by the officers who were gentlemen, as what she described. She, along with the
other captives, was presented to the media as trophies and example.
They were put in the jail initially for interrogation. The first officer was handling her with
chivalry. The next officer tried to rape her but she fought, despite being a captive and a pregnant
woman against a well-built officer. The officer was shocked on her response, stepped back and
stated You will rotten in prison. She responded Bring it on! They were detained in the jail as
political detainee for four years. She gave birth in the jail to Dakip, her second son. Together
with her husband, they had settled in the jail, she even gave birth to a third son who was named
Malaya. After four years, they were released by the generals, informing them of the People
Power and the Ousting of Marcos. Her first response was What about my chickens and my
plants? Outside, they were welcomed to the outside world by a joyous crowd.
You will never cherish freedom until you lost it.
EDSA is a product of sacrifice; of the people who died, those who were raped, abuse; it is
a product of the people who held hands and rose up against the wrongful Martial Law and the
abuse and anomalies that occurred on the Marcos Regime.
EDSA became a political, it was tainted by different political agenda, which should not
be the case. It was not an occasion made by a certain political icon, it is by the strength of the
people who had enough of the sufferings.
In this day, people, by their own gains, dont tell the truth behind the truths of the EDSA.
We must re-educate the people of what EDSA must have been. Do not believe everything that
were presented by the media, by the internet, because they are not all true. We must be open-
minded, do not close our eyes, our hearts and our mind on the truth.
 The spirit of EDSA is the love of Freedom and Democracy and the long struggle to
achieve one.

Second Speaker Atty. Christian S. Monsod

There were several persons, including the Namfrel volunteers, who had sacrificed for the
realization of the EDSA revolution. I give this respect to them. Yes, we had failed EDSA. We
failed to realize of the change. We failed to reflect on the sacrifices of numerous persons and
volunteers who made effort to give us freedom. We lost the importance of our interconnected
lives.
We have abandoned the benefits of our nation, there is a very great discrepancies and
contradictions on the different areas of our nation, from the social, health, economic, and
political opportunities and boundaries to the service of the government to the people and the
dereliction of the peoples welfare, including the marginalized sector. The corruption on the
government by the personal gains of the few jeopardized fair and justice, especially to the poor.
This is the failure of the development EDSA passed unto us which we wasted.
We must think if the actions we wish to establish will help the status of the lives of all
and cater the welfare of our nation. It is the privilege of a society to have united to achieve
freedom. During the EDSA, everyone held hands to fight against the government, whether rich
or poor, young or old.
The failure is not because of the Constitution, it is because of the misinterpretation of it
and the mislead actions of the people. According to a survey, Equality index measurement today
in the Philippines is similar to the Equality index before EDSA. We failed to exercise the
provisions especially on the social justice and human rights.
When the people think that one person must be given the power to rule upon us and lead
us to the change and development, this is when democracy dies.
The president is an enigma, because even if his heart is in the poor, his actions are wrong.
But the people are also wrong, since 70-73% of the people do not know the Constitution.
Until the time that we had elected a transformational leader, and have transformational
citizens, we are far from achieving the vision of the constitution and the social .
Democracy definition by the UN Convention (diko ma-decipher, hirap intindihin sa
recording haha)
The 3 Central themes of the 1987 Constitution
*Social Justice
*Prevent Authoritarianism
*Countrys destiny must be carved by the hands of the people

What to do?
- We should take care of the poor
- We should network, network, network
- We should be willing to change the development acts which are not successful
- The catholic and political areas shall devote themselves to the agenda of the poor, setting
aside personal agendas.
- We should expand the congress to create laws for the benefit of the citizens, especially to
the future generations, to have a healthy society and help them to develop themselves as
later on they will be the next actors of change for the nation.
- Create new generations of leaders who will embody the vision of the constitution and
social justice.

Third Speaker Raiza Robles

We have not yet failed EDSA. We will only fail EDSA if we let another MARCOS to
rule among us.
The EDSA was used as a political image of what we have connoted DILAWAN.
Passive resistance by the movie Ghandi is the method the reverse of resistance by
arms. It is similar how Jesus died in the cross.
(DIKO NA MAINTINDIHAN YUNG SINASABI NYA!!!)