39th Commemoration of Collective Power of EDSA People Power Revolution
February 21, 2025
During the 14-year dictatorship and fascism of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. several cases of human rights violation has been documented including illegal arrest, killings, enforced disappearances, and torture among the poor and political opponent of the administration including church workers, legal aid lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, and student activists. Thus, the civil society and mass movements in the country intensified. Many people from different groups and sectors such as students from various universities, professionals, church workers, urban poor, drivers, and other marginalized sectors of society joined the march at Edsa to put Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s fascist administration to end through series of demonstration that led to Edsa People Power Revolution in 1986. A peaceful protest, vigil, and militant demonstration. It is indeed in its crucial moment to make the high ranking official of the Philippine Government accountable for the suffering of the Filipino people.
On February 25, 39 years have passed since the first Edsa People Power Revolution. The country is still suffering from the ill of corrupt and fascist officials. The Government being the blanket of corruption of bureaucratic capitalists who used public funds for their own benefit as if it is business. On February 5, this year, the lower chamber of the 19th Congress— the House of Representatives— impeached Vice President Sara Duterte after 215 lawmakers backed the fourth impeachment complaint against her. The grounds for impeachment is the violation of Article 11, Section 2 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution as impeachable officials as she violates multiple crimes against the people (1) betrayal of public trust, (2) graft and corruption; (3) bribery). Now the impeachment case will be delivered at the Senate of the Philippines to discuss the said impeachment case such as the following:
1. Alleged confidential fund misuse
The second article of impeachment accused Duterte of misusing confidential funds, amounting to at least P254.898 million in alleged “ghost expenses.” The House good government committee earlier investigated the P500 million spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023. The complaint also cited that special disbursing officers of the OVP and DepEd admitted in a congressional hearing that they were not the ones who personally delivered the payments. Instead, security officers handled the funds upon Duterte’s instructions.
Another questionable transaction was the P125 million in confidential funds spent within 11 days in December 2022, including P73 million later disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA).
2. Cash envelopes?
The third article of impeachment accused Duterte of bribing former high-ranking DepEd officials by allegedly distributing cash envelopes containing tens of thousands of pesos. Former DepEd procurement head Gloria Mercado testified before the House panel that she received P50,000 in cash every month for nine months. Two other officials, former bids and awards committee chair and chief accountant, also said they received cash envelopes.
The complaint also cited the Philippine Army’s admission that it had not received payment for DepEd’s “youth leadership summits,” contradicting DepEd’s claim that funds were allocated for the program.
3. Unexplained wealth
The fourth article of impeachment accused Duterte of amassing “hidden wealth” amounting to P2 billion, which was allegedly unexplained in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) filed from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2022. The complaint also stated how the growth in her net worth is allegedly disproportionate to her salary as a public official.
5. Davao Death Squad, drug war killings
The fifth article linked Duterte to extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, including the notorious Davao Death Squad (DDS), which is being investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Duterte was the mayor of Davao City prior to being elected as vice president in 2022.
6. Inciting sedition, political turmoil
The sixth article accused Duterte of deliberately sowing division and discord within the government, alleging that she incited people to sedition and rebellion. The complaint said she “repeatedly and maliciously caused political turmoil and instability by sowing division and discord within the government.”
7. Abuse of power
The seventh and final article claimed that Duterte’s conduct as vice president displayed “gross faithlessness against trust and tyrannical abuse of power.”
The Edsa People Power Revolution occurred mainly because we want our government to serve for us, the people, and not for the interests of their families or businesses. Our public officials will become more abusive the more we treat them like celebrities. By using our right to vote, we elect them, and by demanding good governance, we have the ability to overthrow their authority. We do not want another fascist dictatorship to take place. Edsa Dos was born in 2001, under the administration of former President Joseph Estrada, out of this hope and the fight for justice and peace. Global Witness claims that the Philippines is one of the most dangerous countries for environmental defenders as a result of the continuing impunity and the rotten system of justice in the country. Under Ferdinand Marcos Jr. several cases of human rights violations were documented including adduction, trumped up charges, illegal arrests, and killings among progressive groups, marginalized sectors, and advocates.
On Youth Empowerment
Students from various universities and youth formations in the country have been vocal in exposing corruption and injustices during the late dictatorship of Marcos Sr. Most of them choose the path of revolutionary struggles in the countryside and their name had been written at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Quezon City. They are the one who made the Edsa People Power Revolution possible. As young people we have the right to hope for better alternatives for the betterment of our future. We are the inheritors of our planet, the society that we live in— without us, society will not be able to function as we are the one who made it. It is a challenge for us to engage and participate in creating a society that prioritizes our well-being.
Let’s hope for a better government by demanding change and accountability!
References:
The allegations against VP Sara Duterte in impeachment proceedings | Philstar.com
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines 