Because of their ignorance due to misinformation, they think EDSA People Power ’86 was all about the Dilawans (the Yellows) since the color yellow was the theme of EDSA and eventually became the color symbol of the Aquinos and Liberal Party (LP).

(WARNING: THIS IS A VERY LONG POST. I KEEP EDITING AND ADDING MORE SOURCE OR INFORMATION THAT I CAN RECALL BECAUSE I WANT TO EDUCATE THE YOUTH ON THE PAINFUL TRUTHS OF MARCOS AND HIS MARTIAL LAW, AN ERA THAT SHAPED MOST OF MY CHILDHOOD)

As a Martial Law baby, I’m very proud to be alive to witness and be a part of this turning point in time in Philippine history. EDSA People Power ’86 happened just a little over a month before my 7th birthday but I was old enough to witness Ninoy’s assassination, the Snap elections and the EDSA people power. I can recall several memories and as a kid, I was very happy at that time because we didn’t have school for a week since our teachers and principal were all at EDSA so we had lots of playing time (and I hated school). The atmosphere and emotions were intense, we were all terrified to see those tanks in EDSA but very hopeful at the same time. We watched the events unfold in our TV. I remember one afternoon or evening when my parents and relatives were all shouting with joy when the news came out that Marcos and his family was taken out of Malacañang. Cory then made a televised appeal to everyone to help her in rebuilding the country. In schools especially during SY 1986–1987, apart from “Lupang Hinirang”, we also sang “Bayan Ko” in our flag ceremony. Suddenly we didn’t need to sing “Bagong Lipunan” anymore which was a good thing because I had difficulty memorizing its lyrics (I was just a 5–6 yr old kid). In short, we were all very happy for the restored democracy and hopeful for the next administration.

However the change isn’t complete. EDSA only changed the rule from an authoritarian to a democratic one but it didn’t change the reality that the country had huge debt inherited from the Marcos era. It didn’t change the unequal distribution of wealth among the rich and poor. Nor did it helped to eliminate the oligarchy. The peso sunked even more during and at the end of Aquino administration. The church, because of its role in EDSA became more powerful that led to it being manipulative, abusive and corrupt. Richard Heydarian, a millennial Political Analyst said it best: “Many people are disappointed with what’s happening with the country, disappointed with the promises that went unfulfilled since the fall of Marcos, so somehow their emotional frustration with the present is distorting their perception of the past. Or in some cases, deliberately distorting the memory of the past,” (source: To forget is not to heal).

However, I can say its still way better than having to live a life under a dictatorship rule. Nobody in their right mind would wish to live under such condition. The silent gens, boomers and my generation who were all alive to be a part of EDSA had all started the change but it is up to the millennials and next generations to come to continue with doing more positive changes without romanticizing the dark chapter of our history.

Millennials weren’t born yet during the martial law years and “Xennials” or first wave of Millennials (born in 1981–1985) were too young to be impacted by the Marcos later years and EDSA People Power. I know the usual definition of a Xennial is people born in 1977–1983 which makes me a part of that cohort but for the purpose of this discussion, I’m only specifically referring to those born in the 80s since us tail-end Martial Law babies were old enough to have first hand experience of the 4th republic (aka Marcos later years) and EDSA People Power ‘86. The oldest millennials were born in 1981, the year Marcos formally lifted Martial Law (albeit only on paper) and although they were old enough to have some photographic memories of EDSA People Power but too young to comprehend it since they were only 4 yrs old in Feb ’86 and weren’t even in school at that time (school age usually begins at 5–6 yrs old). But the vast majority of Filipino Millennials were born after EDSA happened which was also a worldwide trend given the global birth rate spike in the mid 80s but given their saviness to technology, internet, social media, they were able to get lots of information about EDSA which can be true or not. However ignorance is not an excuse for stupidity. To be fair, many martial law babies especially those who were born between 1975–1980 during the later years of that dark era, aren’t aware too partly because we didn’t have the first hand experience of the horrors of martial law since we were mostly still infants, toddlers and preschoolers at that time and unless we were like Kris Aquino and other 70s babies whose parents or relatives were tortured or imprisoned, we wouldn’t know the harsh brutalities of the military. Still psychologically our generation is greatly affected by it without many of us realizing. Another reason is because of media censorship. Prior to EDSA, there were no freedom of speech and all media outlets were heavily controlled by the government. Also our own parents tried to hide from us what was really going on for fear of being arrested, tortured or killed. I was fortunate that my mother, grandmother and most of my dad’s siblings were all government employees so I had a glimpse from an insider’s lens about Marcos and Imelda’s corrupt ways and martial law otherwise I would end up like most people of my generation who like the millennials, are also ignorant and succumbed to admiring Marcos and his martial law. During Marcos time, venting or criticizing the government were prohibited and anyone caught or overheard in doing so will be arrested, tortured or killed… Now millennials tell me, is that the kind of life you want? To be killed or face all kinds of horror and trauma for voicing out your opinion or airing your grievances against the government? The government controlling your every move? To not be able to go out at night because of curfew? To lose your privacy because all telephone lines were tapped? To be automatically convicted without fair trial? Or seeing your loved ones being imprisoned or suffering from being beaten, electrocuted, raped, forcefully inserting sharp objects inside their genitals or other kinds of torture by the military all because they made an innocent joke about the government’s campaign slogan? Is that what you call “golden age”? If you get caught saying something ill about the government, you would be automatically considered an enemy or a communist. Those things I mentioned were the norm during martial law. If EDSA didn’t happen then we wouldn’t be here on Quora talking freely about politics nor on facebook, youtube, instagram, tiktok, twitter and other social media platforms because internet would be banned (and its not a myth because personally I saw how our TV suddenly changed from seeing Marcos’ face to seeing the people at EDSA and only experienced the arcades and watching Voltes V, Transformers from 1986 onwards since those were banned during Marcos time so if they could control the local media and ban these shows and games then what more the internet?). If you try to air your grievances against the government, better hide or else you face warrantless arrest and either be tortured or even get killed. To be honest, I don’t think millennials and the succeeding generations will survive so kids be careful what you wish for.

I’m neither pro-Marcos nor pro-Aquino. For me these leaders each had their own sins to pay.

With that said, I agree that younger people need to realize that the spirit of EDSA is about unity & cooperation as one nation. EDSA proved that we Filipinos are capable of making extraordinary changes if we learn to set aside differences and work together as one. That we Filipinos know how to stand up against oppression and also a warning that we as a people aren’t to be taken lightly. EDSA was a historical event that was commended all around the world and served as an inspiration and example for other countries to follow. Few years later, several revolutions similar to EDSA People Power happened such as the fall of Berlin Wall in East Germany in 1989 that led to the reunification of Germany, fall of communism in Eastern Europe also in 1989, the end of Apartheid in South Africa in 1994 and later on, the Arab Spring in 2011 that led to the ousting of dictators Hosni Mubarak, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi (imagine if EDSA didn’t happen then these global events weren’t likely to happen or would end up in worse scenario). Although EDSA is usually associated with Cory but the truth is the event itself had nothing to do with the Aquinos. In fact the ultimate leading star of the revolt are the Filipino people and contrary to what most youths think, people power didn’t only happen in EDSA. There were people power revolts against Marcos throughout the Philippines. EDSA People Power’s main goal was restoring justice, democracy and freedom which Millennials and Gen Z now enjoy but also sadly taken for granted. The only reason Cory was in the picture is because she was the widow of Sen. Ninoy Aquino, who was assassinated in 1983 that sparked outrage among the masses who pleaded for her to become Marcos’ opponent in the Snap elections. We can’t blame those who wanted Cory to be the president because at that time we were already fed up with the dictatorship and were very desperate for a change and since Ninoy (and eventually Cory) were the only ones who were capable to challenge Marcos so people were willing to give Cory a chance. Most of these people who fought to oust Marcos weren’t pro-Aquino and know that Ninoy was among the TRAPOs (traditional politician) and Cory was part of the elitist clan but at that time, people would rather give Cory a chance than remain under the dictatorship rule. So its time that we stop associating EDSA with the yellows. Personally, I’m not a fan of the Aquinos nor LP but I still respect and value the EDSA People Power ‘86.

The duty is for us from older generations to educate the millennials about what really happened during the Marcos regime from his first term (1965–1969), 2nd term/pre-martial law (1969–Sept.1972), martial law (Sept.1972–Jan.1981), 4th republic (1981–Feb.1986), Ninoy assassination (1983), Snap Election (1986) and EDSA (1986) if we want the younger generations to value this historical event. We cannot put the blame on young people for their ignorance, instead the blame is on us who were alive and have clear memories of martial law or EDSA for failing to teach our youth about the horrible reality of the Marcos dictatorship rule and the reason why we were too eager on “dethroning” him.