Militant organizations want prominent political clans to be held accountable for all the sufferings of the Filipino people as they commemorate the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution with protest actions in the different parts of the country.
Protesters who surround People Power Monument in Quezon City carry placards that call to hold President Marcos Jr and Former President Rodrigo Duterte accountable for the country’s miseries and support the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
These placards read” Isabuhay ang Diwa ng EDSA : Marcos Singilin, Duterte Panagutin, Sara Litisin; Convict Sara Now among others.
In an interview with Brigada News FM Manila Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Secretary General Mong Palatino said that leaders come and go but the issues Filipino people fought for during Martial Law are the same issues that beset the country today.
Palatino emphasized that the true spirit of the people power revolution is not just about toppling down corrupt and abusive leaders but addressing the rotten system of governance that brought miseries to the Filipino people.
“Ang aral ng EDSA ay hindi sapat na palitan mo lang yong namumuno kasi kung ang papalit naman ay bulok din wala ring pagbabago. Kailangan ibasura ang bulok na sistema na umiiral sa ating bayan. Palatino said.
Palatino added that cronies and political dynasties continue to plague the government and corruption exists in various forms.
“Cronies at political dynasties noon hanggang ngayon nandyan, kurapsyon, ill-gotten wealth ngayon napakaraming porma ng pangangamkam ng pera mula confidential funds hanggang sa mga pabaon, pork barrel. Lubog tayo sa utang noon lubog tayo sa utang ngayon,”. Palatino emphasized.
The militant group expects around 10,000 participants in Metro Manila while there are simultaneous activities in other major cities such as Baguio, Cebu, Naga, Iloilo, Kalibo, Roxas, and Davao.
It was on February 25, 1986, when then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr was forced to step down from his post after hundreds of thousands of Filipino people gathered along EDSA and called for his ouster.
The uprising gave way for the assumption of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino as the first woman president of the Republic of the Philippines.
The people power revolution ended Marcos Sr.’s 20 years reign as president which was marred by issues of massive corruption and human rights violations.
(Mong Palatino photo)
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.