UNITED IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

By:  Gabbie Castro

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Last February 25, 2019, we commemorated one of the country’s most memorable events in history. The Filipinos emerged victorious from being divided by the country’s dictator and his ruthless regime. The People Power Revolution was downright monumental. The Filipino people were united against the fight towards dictatorship. It gathered thousands of people along EDSA to march to Malacañang to oppose the tyranny of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

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However, looking back, you can never hide the fact that before the Filipino people ended the late Ferdinand Marcos’s regime, the events that led up to that were unpleasant. Not only did the late President Ferdinand Marcos, issued Martial Law in the country, but also he instilled fear to the people.

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The proclamation of Martial Law itself, shattered democracy within a blink of an eye. Power and discipline was engraved in his regime, you could not hide the fact that these two things were abused in this era. Look at his presidency, he became the longest running president of the Philippines for 21 years, including his regime over Martial Law. As long as you’re an enemy of the state you’ll be killed before you know it.

The people who participated in this iconic revolution wanted us to learn a lesson that we should not let this happen again. The regime it was bloody, violent, and abusive. Even if the Marcos regime established great things, there is always the downside of it all. The killings, the torture, and the fear.

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The inaugural wreath laying ceremony in front of the EDSA People Power Monument was one of the events that took place in this year’s commemoration. It was led by the Department of Education (DepEd) or Undersecretary Lorna Dino. Afterwards, she gave an empowering speech that encouraged the Filipino’s to learn from what happened here 33 years ago and let it be a lesson for us all.

“Everyone of us has a chance to do something for the country,” she said.

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However, President Rodrigo Duterte, who admires Marcos, skipped another EDSA anniversary event, making this year his third one in a row, only offering a wreath in lieu of his absence. His absence speaks volumes and I hope he can look into that more.

I would like to conclude this article with a quote I find suitable for this anniversary. Lois Lane once said in a movie that “Darkness, the truest darkness is not the absence of light. It is the conviction that the light will never return. But the light always return to show us things familiar. Our darkness was deep and soon to swallow all hope. But hope is real, you can see it, all you have to do is look.

The Anniversary of the EDSA Revolution should always be a reminder to always fight for the people and for the sake of our country. WE should always let the truth prevail, and peace should be our utmost priority. If you see something wrong, correct it. Even if it’s hard, even if it’s taking your breath away, even though it’s your last shot, as long as you always strive for the best, the pain will pass because the long term results of a better society will be your reward.

Together, may we stand, hand in hand, our fists tight and raised, our voices loud and clear, our hearts beating for our nation, as we come together, united in the face of adversity.

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ORACLE™, MARCH 2019

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