in the spirit of people power

20 years ago, a united Filipino nation fought for and regained its freedom from a corrupt dictator. The first People Power revolution, described by many as "one brief shining moment in our history", toppled the decades-old authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Different people from different walks of life marched together at EDSA, facing down tanks and helicopter gunships with flowers and rosaries. Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue was a sea of yellow, as millions rallied in the name of freedom. They were not there in support of any political party or ideology; they were there for the restoration of democracy and for the reform of our society. They were there for the Philippines and for all Filipinos.

Sadly, the spirit of People Power has been hijacked by people bent on grabbing power for themselves. The political opposition has been trying to simulate its own "People Power moment" since the "Hello Garci" scandal erupted last July, desperately trying to draw the people out into the streets to demand the resignation or ouster of President Arroyo. In the days leading up to the 20th anniversary of EDSA 1 they have been using People Power as a rallying point for their protest actions against the government, even going so far as to using the commemoration of the event as a cover for their rallies and demonstrations.
20 years after the triumph of People Power, opportunistic and self-centered people are using it to further their own ends, calling on the people to come out by fomenting dissent and exposing dubious "scandals" in what appears to be a planned destabilization effort, forgetting that the original People Power was not planned or calculated. It was a spontaneous event, propagated by people fed up with the abuses of the authoritarian regime and hungry for change. They forget that the people did not march for any political party or ideology; the people came out for the good of the entire country, not for one person or party.

The Philippines is now under a state of national emergency, thanks in no small part to the selfish ambitions of adventurist soldiers and power-hungry politicians. The opposition has cried foul, calling it undeclared martial law and raising the spectre of the return of authoritarian rule and the loss of freedom, conveniently forgetting that it was their noise and mudslinging and destabilizing activities which brought about Proclamation 1017.
Many see it as ironic that exactly 20 years after the restoration of democracy, the Philippines is now on the brink of returning to authoritarian rule. However, it is more ironic is that the "one brief shining moment" which united the nation is now being used as a political tool by selfish individuals to further divide the Filipino people. We are one step away from returning to the days of martial law precisely because of this.

I believe that the true spirit of People Power is not about the fight for freedom and democracy, or about the use of peace to bring about change in society. The true spirit of People Power is in the unity of a nation. Ang tunay na diwa ng People Power ay ang pagkakaisa ng sambayanang Pilipino. People Power would have never succeeded; freedom and democracy would not have been restored, if not for the united efforts of the Filipino nation.
So now, in the true spirit of People Power, let us unite as one nation and work for the betterment of the entire country, instead of uniting against each other and bringing down our economy in the process. Let us cast away our differences and work together to make our nation great again.