Geline Salac

EDSA 40: Volunteers at 1986 ‘liberated’ Broadcast Center recall thrill, lessons from ‘fiesta’ revolt

Article (news)

Broadcaster June Keithley announces on live TV via Channel 4 the departure of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his family. (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)

Crowd outside the Broadcast Center in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City seen via helicopter shot amid EDSA 1 in 1986 (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)

Crowd outside the Broadcast Center in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City amid EDSA 1 in 1986 (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)

Jim Paredes, Noel Trinidad and Subas Herrero delight over getting to show the “Laban” sign on television after the takeover of Channel 4. (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)

Andrew Jonathan Bagaoisan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772234369422IMG_8406 (2) - Edited.png" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="The Broadcast Center, or Plaza as it was called, in 1986 as protesters also gathered outside the building along Bohol Avenue, now Sgt. Esguerra. (From: EDSA 30 Taon ABS-CBN documentary)"/><span class="fr-inner">The Broadcast Center, or Plaza as it was called, in 1986 as protesters also gathered outside the building along Bohol Avenue, now Sgt. Esguerra. (From: EDSA 30 Taon ABS-CBN documentary)</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The EDSA People Power Revolution which led to the ouster of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in February 1986 was an uprising carried by the airwaves.</p><p>It began with calls by then Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin and August Twenty One Movement head Agapito “Butz” Aquino over the Catholic Church-owned Radio Veritas for the public to go to EDSA and protect defense and military officials led by Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Gen. Fidel Ramos, who had withdrawn support from the regime.</p><p>But the turning point of the revolt came when 130 rebel soldiers took over state-run Maharlika Broadcasting System (MBS) Channel 4 in what was the once and future ABS-CBN Broadcast Center on February 24th</p><p>This led to a “liberated” marathon telecast manned by volunteers, informed by foreign news wires, driven by uncertainty, and sustained by the support of ordinary Filipinos–a counterpoint to the regime’s propaganda machinery.</p><p>Over that nationwide network the confirmed news first came out the next day–Marcos and his family had flown out of the Philippines.</p><p>Forty years later, those who found themselves part of the revolt not along the historic highway but inside a television station in then-Bohol Avenue in Quezon City are hoping young Filipinos today would learn from their experiences and make their own marks for the country.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘WE TURNED THAT REVOLUTION INTO A FIESTA’</strong></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772254448237JOSE-REYES.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">FDCP chair Jose Javier Reyes (Photo by Anjo Bagaoisan)</span></span></span></div><p><strong></strong>Jose Javier Reyes, veteran filmmaker, writer, and current Film Development Council of the Philippines chair, was 30 when he and his best friend, the late actor and director Manny Castañeda, heeded the call for volunteers at the seized station.</p><p>“That was the happiest revolution ever, which is, I think, very expressive of something so distinctly Filipino,” Reyes said.</p><p>“You wouldn&#x27;t believe that there was a great political change happening. We turned that revolution into a fiesta.”</p><p>On the morning of the 24th, an attempt by rebel soldiers led by Col. Mariano Santiago to take Channel 4 led to exchanges of gunfire, as Enrile and Ramos later directed teams to cut off Marcos’s means of communication to the public.</p><p>Soon the president came on the air to dispel rumors that he and his family had left, later telling his top military man Gen. Fabian Ver to refrain from attacking Camp Crame where Enrile and Ramos had holed up.</p><p>But close to an hour into the press conference, Channel 4 blacked out at 9:56 AM, just as Marcos was responding to a reporter asking how in control he was. The rebels, along with a contingent of civilians, had taken over.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772234668900IMG_8408.JPG" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Veteran broadcasters Orly Punzalan and Maan Hontiveros help anchor the coverage of EDSA People Power on the previously government-owned network. (Photo by Manuel Ferrer)</span></span></span></div><p>Radio Veritas, whose facilities and transmitter were shuttered by pro-Marcos forces days earlier and which had taken over DZRJ to be “Radyo Bandido”, soon started using the MBS facilities to broadcast.</p><p>By 1:25 p.m., veteran broadcaster Orly Punzalan appeared on TV from the MBS anchor desk with Maan Hontiveros to inaugurate its first “free” broadcast.</p><p>Punzalan’s first words: “Channel 4 is back on the air to serve the people.”</p><p>Hontiveros, then a TV producer and host, called on colleagues from other media outfits as well as former employees of ABS-CBN to “report for work”.</p><p>“I think now the people need you.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN’</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772254524284LEO-KATIGBAK.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Former ABS-CBN archives and film restoration head Leo Katigbak recounts his EDSA experience at the broadcast center. (Photo by Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News)</span></span></span></strong></div><p>Leo Katigbak, former head of ABS-CBN Archives and Film Restoration, recalled manning the news room on the second floor with Reyes, Castañeda, and writer Tats Manahan, as one of the early production volunteers.</p><p>“Walang ibang writer na nandito e. Kami lang yung mga nandito na marunong magsulat,” he recalled in an interview.</p><p>Katigbak, then barely in his early 20s, came with future Star Magic exec Mariole Alberto, a fellow creative talent who, like him, lived nearby.</p><p>They had all gotten inside the guarded building after someone had recognized them.</p><p>The irony, Reyes recalled, was that they were sitcom writers — not news people — tasked to monitor the Telex machines for news reported by the international wire agencies of the events in EDSA, then write and relay them to the studio. Katigbak also served as a runner between the floors.</p><p>Still, they knew how important their task was.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TdL8IpTJahE?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>After so many years under government-controlled media, Filipinos finally had an alternative with the so-called “New Channel 4”, whose reach was nationwide.</p><p>Katigbak said: “Basically, when people found out that, ‘Hey, nakuha na ang GTV 4 (MBS’s old call sign), pwede na nating paniwalaan ‘yung mga nangyayari doon’.”</p><p>“Kasi, ano, magkakakontra yung balita. Sinasabi nila, wala itong EDSA, mga rallies and whatever. We were saying that it was gaining momentum and everything. We were also announcing what was coming out in foreign news bulletins and whatever–because we had access to it. So, ‘ito ang sinasabi ni Reuters’, ‘ito yung sinasabi ni ganito’, ‘ito yung sinasabi ni BBC’,” he added.</p><p>“Even if they controlled all other media, we now had a strong venue for us to say, ‘Hey, ito yung totoong nangyayari’.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘UNITY IN THE TRUEST SENSE’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Johnny Manahan, aka “Mr. M”, called the shots as director.</p><p>Newscasters from outside like Jose Mari Velez, Tina Monzon-Palma, Bong Lapira, and Orly Mercado pitched in to anchor portions of the marathon telecast.</p><p>But it was not all news.</p><p>Showbiz personalities and entertainers including Freddie Aguilar, the Apo Hiking Society, Lea Navarro, Celeste Legaspi, Subas Herrero and Noel Trinidad also dropped by the station, providing intermissions to the discussions and even more.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772235072582Laban Liberated Ch 4 from CFA.png" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Jim Paredes, Noel Trinidad and Subas Herrero delight over getting to show the “Laban” sign on television after the takeover of Channel 4. (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Jim Paredes, Noel Trinidad and Subas Herrero delight over getting to show the “Laban” sign on television after the takeover of Channel 4. (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)</span></span></span></div><p>“Everybody was equal. ‘Yung mga artista, ‘pag sinabi mo mag-antay sila, mag-antay sila. ‘Pag sinabi mo, “Uy, pwede ba kayong mag-announce nito? Kasi may ginagawa na ano.’ Gagawin nila yun,” Katigbak said.</p><p>Those days showed camaraderie, partnership, and unity “in the truest sense of the word”, he said.</p><p>“It was just amusing. It was fun. It was scary because you didn’t know what would happen. Because there was also talk that while we had taken over the complex, the other side of the military was just there waiting to pounce on us,” he added.</p><p>“Everybody was welcome… You got to meet a lot of people. I wish I had my camera then and I would have taken a lot of selfies then.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HUMOROUS MOMENTS</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Holed up in the Broadcast Center for days, the volunteers would take turns resting in lined-up chairs at the newsroom.</p><p>Katigbak recalled the place getting so hot they had to take off clothes.</p><p>The uncertainty also led to humorous moments, such as when they were told to wrap wet towels around their heads in case of a tear gas attack by the Marcos military.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772235560855Leo Katigbak tour.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Leo Katigbak shows the staircase where he kept going up and down to bring scripts or typed-out info to the studio in Channel 4—which he now believes needs explanation. (Photo by Anjo Bagaoisan)</span></span></span></div><p>“E wala naman dumating na tear gas!” Reyes said. “Kaming mga baliw, nakabalot kami ng mga tuwalya naming ganon. Si Manny, naka-turban ng tuwalya. Dumating ang CNN, kinukunan — hindi kami makunan ng CNN!</p><p>“Doon sa isang mesa, may mga nagtatawanan, nagkakainan. That is not a revolution! This was not the image that the world wanted to see about a revolution happening.</p><p>“I think that is an inherent defense mechanism of Filipinos. When we are in a critical position, we sing, we dance, and we laugh. We push away the whole idea of danger,” Reyes added.</p><p>But they had one thing to count on–the generosity and solidarity of the people, those surrounding the Broadcast Center and beyond.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_3A1fcIwTqg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>“May biglang announcement. Iha-handwrite yun… halimbawa, ‘Wala na hong brief ‘yung mga sundalo dito,’ maya-maya kahon-kahon na ‘yung dadating dito. ‘Wala na hong mainom na tubig ‘yung mga…’ Ay kahon-kahon yung dadating dito,” said Katigbak, who recalled the front parking area of the station being filled with those boxes. </p><p>When they ran out of cigarettes and made the callout, Reyes said they were surprised that boxes and not just reams of a luxury brand were sent there.</p><p>“Tapos gutom tayo, ‘yan, Ano bang masarap? ‘Nangangailangan po kami ng…’ Kahon-kahon! So para piyesta doon sa loob, ‘yun ang kinakain namin sa loob ng studio,” Reyes said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘TURNED THE TIDE’</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772235835919June Keithley announces Marcos leaving.png" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Broadcaster June Keithley announces on live TV via Channel 4 the departure of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his family. (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)</span></span></span></strong></div><div><strong></strong><strong></strong></div><p>Multiple accounts and studies of the EDSA Revolt agree that the capture of Channel 4 was the point that turned the tide against Marcos Sr.</p><p>“Television’s fall to the rebel forces secured the victory in the psychological battle with the dictator,” wrote broadcast veteran and scholar Dr. Elizabeth Enriquez back in 2006.</p><p>It was fitting then that the station’s once-pro-Marcos airwaves brought the news to the nation that the First Family had fled the country–delivered as a breaking update from the foreign press by no less than June Keithley, the voice of Radio Veritas.</p><p>“We were the first to get the word, kasi kami ang nasa monitoring,” Reyes said.</p><p>“It was Manny who got the word, pinasa sa’kin. Sabi, ‘Joey’, binasa, ‘Umalis na’. So, wala nakakaalam sa studio until finally ni-relay namin na umalis na. They had to assert na totoong umalis na.”</p><p>The occupants of Channel 4 not only repeated the news on the air, they also got out to personally share it with the crowd outside the Broadcast Center.</p><p>Reyes recalled joining APO’s Jim Paredes and Danny Javier atop the driveway roof jutting from the building, where they announced the details.</p><p>“Hindi ko makakalimutan ‘yung announcement sa labas dahil...iba eh. ‘Yung makakahinga ka na,” Reyes said.</p><p>After that, many of the volunteers eventually went back home, as the challenge remained for the media to help a growing information and public service-hungry public.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8HsaLAzY_E8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>‘THE POWER OF MEDIA’</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>It was that value of television and broadcast media that for Reyes was exemplified in those days in 1986.</p><p>“You’ll come to realize the power of media, specifically of mass media, and how people who are in control of media–the content creators as they call them now–affect the entire manner of thinking,” he said.</p><p>Reyes would eventually work on shows and movies for ABS-CBN, which soon reclaimed Channel 2 that same year and full occupancy of the Broadcast Center over the next half decade. Channel 4 remained with the government as “People’s Television”.</p><p>In 1987, Katigbak and Alberto would follow Freddie Garcia as well to ABS, where Katigbak later pioneered a number of initiatives from new channels to music and continued to serve until his retirement last year.</p><p>They lament, though, that they would live through a second shutdown of the same network over the next three decades, along with the seemingly endless cycle of problems in the country.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1772235778716Aerial Bohol Ave from CFA.png" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">Crowd outside the Broadcast Center in Bohol Avenue, Quezon City seen via helicopter shot amid EDSA 1 in 1986 (Courtesy: Communication Foundation for Asia)</span></span></span></div><p>“It&#x27;s not only the network that came to a close. There was a change in the entire ecology of communication in our country,” Reyes said.</p><p>“Siguro the biggest disappointment was that that idealism did not yield something concrete to advance the Philippines into something better.”</p><p>For the then-young people of EDSA 1, the responsibility of nation-building now rests on the youth of the time of flood control scandals, social media, and artificial intelligence.</p><p>“Kayong kabataan, ‘pag hindi nyo inayos yan,  you will be the one to live with all of the problems, e,” Katigbak said.</p><p>“So, I think, kailangan pakaisipin yun. Huwag kayong magpadalos-dalos. Huwag kayong magpabuyo sa basta sinasabi ng iba. Ang isipin nyo, kinabukasan.”</p><p>Still, they remain hopeful–just as they were during People Power.</p><p>“Sinabi nila, there&#x27;ll be a better Philippines but not in your lifetime. And I ask myself, why is it like that? I was 30 years old at the time of EDSA 1 and now I&#x27;m 71 years old,” Reyes said.</p><div>“I wish it will still happen within my lifetime. And I wish the learnings from EDSA 1 and EDSA 2 are enough for our people to see.”<br/><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VpMZpgwMjPY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Forty years later, those who found themselves part of the revolt inside a television station are hoping young Filipinos today would learn from their experiences and make their own marks for the country.</p>

Forty years later, those who found themselves part of the revolt inside a television station are hoping young Filipinos today would learn from their experiences and make their own marks for the country.