Push Admin

'Protect the flames of EDSA': Sotto says 1986 revolt PH greatest victory vs 'dark times'

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Human rights advocates commemorate the EDSA People Power Revolution in Quezon City on Feb. 20, 2022. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/02/24/20220220-edsa-revolution-anniversary-md-6257.jpg"/><figcaption>Human rights advocates commemorate the EDSA People Power Revolution in Quezon City on Feb. 20, 2022. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA—Vice-presidential aspirant Sen. Vicente &quot;Tito&quot; Sotto III on Thursday urged Filipinos to &quot;protect and preserve the flames of EDSA&quot; against those who wish to revise it.</p><p>In a statement on the eve of the 36th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the Senate president said the 1986 bloodless uprising was the &quot;nation&#x27;s greatest victory over the dark times.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Protect the flame of EDSA. As a people who lived through this history, it is our duty to the fallen - the victims of human rights violations under martial law - to honor their sacrifice,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Preserve the flame of EDSA. It is our badge of honor and courage, our legacy to our children’s children and the future generations.&quot;</p><p>Sotto said the people-led revolt served as a &quot;constant reminder&quot; on how Filipinos stood up against abuses during the martial rule.</p><p>&quot;History is history. It has happened already. How can we forget? We must not let anyone revise the truth, especially the truth about EDSA,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;It is the flame that fires the embers of nationalism among Filipinos. It is our symbol of courage and unity, a light of truth that gives us our sense of freedom.&quot;</p><p>Sotto called on Filipinos to protect the history &quot;from those who speak untruthfully about the horrors of the past&quot; and from those who wish to drag Filipinos again into the &quot;dungeon of lies&quot;.</p><p>He also noted there were efforts &quot;to mislead the younger generation and paint a rosy picture of the life after&quot;.</p><p>&quot;Responsibilidad nating lahat na magsalita kung ano ang katotohan, bigyang halaga ang nakaraan, at hikayatin ang iba na maging mulat sa ating lipunan,&quot; the senator said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/multimedia/slideshow/09/20/17/the-marcoses-ill-gotten-wealth">The Marcoses&#x27; ill-gotten wealth</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/09/21/18/by-the-numbers-human-rights-violations-during-marcos-rule">BY THE NUMBERS: Human rights violations during Marcos&#x27; rule</a></li></ul><p>The 1986 revolt restored the country&#x27;s democracy and installed Corazon Aquino, widow of assassinated opposition leader Benigno Aquino, to presidency.</p><p>It toppled the regime of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos after a 20-year rule marked by allegations of widespread human rights abuses and embezzlement of billions of dollars from state coffers.</p><p>The strongman&#x27;s family, however, returned to the Philippines in the 1990s and began to revive their political fortune.</p><p>His son and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, is seeking the presidency in this year&#x27;s elections.</p><p>A massive social media campaign targeting people too young to remember the dictatorship has been critical in boosting Marcos Jr&#x27;s popularity—and, critics say, rewriting history.</p><p>Now, polls show Marcos Jr heading for a landslide victory in the May 9 elections—and returning to the presidential palace his family fled more than 35 years ago.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/09/21/17/the-best-of-times-data-debunk-marcoss-economic-golden-years">The best of times? Data debunk Marcos’s economic ‘golden years’</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1779362" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div><strong>—With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

Sotto urged Filipinos to 'protect and preserve the flames of EDSA' against those who wish to revise it.