December 1 - 15, 2016
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
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My EDSA Memory Revisited
by JJ Atencio
With all this talk about
the Marcos Burial and the
programmed
rallies
to
showcase the people’s antiMarcos sentiment, it brings
me back to me own EDSA
people power memory.
Being at EDSA for four
days back in 1986, I felt that
we were actively participating
in the change we were so
desperately seeking for.
Did the Marcoses ever
do anything good? Of course!
No one stays in power for 20
years and not manage to do
some things right.
But Marcos overstayed.
And that was the beginning of
the end. When Ninoy Aquino
was shot in 1983, I have
never seen my mother cry so
hard for someone she hardly
knew. For my mom and her
generation, Ninoy become
the symbol of hope, and when
he died, the hope of that
generation and mine as well
was assassinated along with
him. I knew then that times
were indeed changing.
Meanwhile,
the
economy got so bad, we had
a WB default and austerity
A
measures followed. The
Forex rate zoomed to 43:1
if I remember correctly, so a
Binondo central bank had to
be set up to somehow provide
businessmen with black
market dollars to prop up an
import dependent economy.
The state corporations and
agricultural monopolies were
failing.
Then suddenly, the
snap elections came like
an impossible dream come
true. When Doy Laurel finally
accepted a subservient role
to Cory Aquino, it united the
opposition and I thought
for the first time, we had a
chance at change. People
don’t appreciate Doy Laurel’s
decision to slide and give the
opposition candidacy to an
inexperienced housewife. I
will always remember Doy
Laurel for that moment of
statesmanship which I can
only describe as providential.
I
remember
that
“sossy” magazine “Mr and
Ms” transform into a political
opposition publication which
everybody started reading.
I remember Chino Roces
selflessly pushing his kariton
full of papers asking for 1
million signatures to convince
Cory Aquino to run. I must
have signed that petition at
least three times because i
really wanted her to run.
I tagged along in
a few campaign sorties
for the LABAN and was
a bit intimidated by the
preparedness and confidence
the KBL teams we encountered
had. My uncle Jess Bustos
told me not to worry coz “their
end is near and so they face
the final curtain”. At that time,
it was hard to believe. But I
do remember that we gave
money to the campaign and
even made our own tshirts
and posters. Ours looked
really bad compared to the
KBL but somehow I felt ours
mattered more than their
professionally made election
paraphernalia.
I was working in IGHI
when, on what was to be
the first day of EDSA 86, my
boss suddenly barged in to
announce that people were
beginning to mass in front of
Camp Crame. I said, “So, it’s
another anti-Marcos rally, what
else is new?” But he said, “ No
JJ. This one is different.” He
then declares the rest of the
day off and tells us to please
join the people at EDSA. I’m
glad I decided to go.
Apparently, the night
before, Cardinal Sin went on
radio to ask the people to
go to EDSA and protect the
group of Min. Enrile and Gen.
Ramos who had defected. It
was the Cardinal’s call that
started EDSA 86.
It was an electrifying
experience. I have never seen
so many people, rich and
poor, old and young, nuns and
housewives, priests and laity
come out for a single purpose.
The spirit of friendship,
inclusivity and camaraderie
was awesome. The crowd
kept on getting bigger. And
the food just came. Somehow,
there were always sandwiches
and water popping out of
nowhere. Eventually, there
was entertainment at night
too.
Though I’d go home
every night, many people
just stayed and slept in
EDSA. I managed to go back
everyday, sometimes with my
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family, and other times with
my friends. It was like we were
going to replace those that
spent the night so they could
go home and wash up.
The place we parked
kept getting farther and
farther with each passing
day. By the last day, we had
to park nearer Aurora Blvd.
corner Broadway and walked
the entire stretch of Ortigas
Avenue to get to EDSA. It was
okay because hundreds of
people around me were doing
the same thing. There was no
fear in the air. We were all just
happy to be there.
For the next four days,
we were tuned in to “Radyo
Bandido” and heard the
voice of June Keithly give us
the run down on who was
defecting and other news as
it happened.
When Marcos finally
left, I had more than a sense
of relief that it was finally over.
During those four days, the
worst could have happened
as Marcos could have easily
ordered the tanks, troops and
planes loyal to him to go to
EDSA and
CONT ON A22