edsa

EDSA...Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. This stretch of asphat linking several cities in Metro Manila has stories to tell...

It is named after is a known historian, scholar, art critic, linguist, poet, essayist, biographer, bibliophile, composer, and musician. Epifanio delos Santos was born on April 7, 1871, Don Panyong became the provincial governor of Nueva Ecija, fiscal, biographer, historian, scholar, Filipinist, was born in the barrio of Longos, Malabon. (To know more about him and EDSA pls refer to this , and this)

For most of the Filipinos, it is a symbol of freedom gained and the power of a united Filipino. This is the venue of two historic events that changed the landscape as well as the political climate of the country.

The 1986 EDSA Revolution was a turning point in the history of the Phillipines. For three days, men, women and children from different walks of life, joined forces to protest the reslut of the 1986 snap elections and the dictatorial regime of President Ferdinand Marcos. On February 25, 1986, the "bloodless" revolution successfully revived Philippine democracy by overthrowing President Marcos and installing Corazon Aquino as the 11th President of the Republic.

Fast forward to January 2001. Another people's revolution was staged. This time against former President Estrada after pro-administration senators blocked the opening of a crucial envelope in the impeachment trial against President Estrada. Mr Estrada allegedly received bribes from gambling syndicates, skimmed off government funds and protected friends from government regulators. The second ‘EDSA’ revolution led to the resignation of Mr Estrada, who is now in prison on charges of economic plunder – a crime which allows no bail and is punishable by death.

Unlike the first EDSA, this which was mobilized through radio veritas and word of mouth, the recent EDSA "event" was immediately known/mobilized through text (aka SMS).

Yesterday was the fourth anniversary of EDSA dos(2). It was marked by less or no fanfare at all. It seemed that only a few remembered this event. After four years of the cute administration, it seems that nothing has changed. The names (and faces) of officials may have changed, but we are still governed by crooks and abusers. The Philippines is still trailing behind its Asian neighbors, even being overtaken by Vietnam. Mass exodus of nurses, doctors, engineers and other skilled workers are higher than ever. It seems that we are no where better off than we were before EDSA dos.

Was EDSA dos the biggest mistake we made in recent history? Are we quick to forget or do we never learn from our past?