On September 21, 1972, Former President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial law under the Proclamation of 1081. This means that the law had suspended the civil rights of its constituents to pave way for the imposition of military authority of the entire country. The Philippines was placed under the jurisdiction of the military rule for more than a decade, which was during the Marcos regime. Strict military rule sparked numerous human rights violations against the Filipino society that further escalated leftists to protest against the existing government. Extremism exploded, increasing the force of rebel groups across the country, which all have led to the Edsa Revolution in 1986.
The EDSA Revolution was one of the main historical political event that carved the Philippine history through the years. The Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) Revolution is also named as the People Power Revolution. The event occured between February 22 and February 25 in 1986, which is a three day event, enticed all Filipinos around the world to join the peaceful protest to reestablish the political legitimacy of the Republic of the Philippines. The main goal of the revolution is to oust Ferdinand Marcos and then eventually was replaced by Corazon Aquino, who was the widow of former Senator Ninoy Aquino, who was assassinated in the Manila Internaitonal Airport (Now NAIA) on August 21 in 1983.
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| 1986 EDSA Revolution |
EDSA Revolution became a series when it marked another version in 2001. Protesters, opposition groups, and leftist organizations organized a nationwide protest against President Joseph Estrada. As a result, Joseph Estrada stepped down as the president, being replaced by the former vice-president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. But in May of 2006, EDSA III sparked across Metro Manila. Business establishments were forced to close due to the threat of violent riots and mobs across the metro. International trade and local transactions were halted because the areas was blocked by the angry protesters who wants Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign.
Due to a series of protests embarked by street protesters, there are concerning issues towards the democracy of the Philippines. The reason behind is about the resurgence of protesting political parties, who makes an effort to gather in the streets, spending time to purchase uniforms, buying lunch meals, and creating tarpauline as part of their rallies. Leftist groups may seem to overly use democracy because whenever there are concerns with regards to any political related events, they usually march on the streets to protest. The dark side of protesting is the use of force, which risks the safety of the innocent civilians who happens to walk near the area where an active protest is ongoing. Usually, there are clashes that results into coercion and then assaults between the two camps.
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Development of EDSA Revolution until it became a series
5 Reasons why Edsa Revolution Anniversary is at risk for being abolished
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2. Represented by the Liberal Party: The EDSA Revolution is headed by the Liberal Party. Although the PDP-Laban (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan) Partylist was with the Liberal Party, these two political parties became as rivals since Rodrigo Duterte won as the President of the Republic of the Philippines. Both political parties believe in different ideologies, which makes them oppose each other. The current administration led by President Rodrigo Duterte unseated the Liberal Party as the largest political party in the Philippines. The Liberal Party became as the opposition group, going against the current administration headed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
3. President Rodrigo Duterte Supports Marcos: Ferdinand Marcos once made the Philippines as one of the most progressive in Asia. However, the prolonged Martial Law ruling created an incessant coercion that affected its national security. President Rodrigo Duterte still believes that Marcos is the best president that the Philippines ever had due to his socio-economic progressiveness. The disciplinary method of Marcos is another thing that Duterte admires, promoting respect and unity among his constituents. Through discipline, societal challenges can be solved quickly, rather than promoting Laissez-Faire leadership style that risks abusive practices.
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4. Halts productivity: One main reason is that whenever the anniversary of EDSA revolution is commemorated, expect that there are several protests that you will see along the streets. Whenever there is a high concentration of protesters, it halts all productive operations that takes place in the affected areas. Protests cause traffic jams, which risks the economic sustainability of the country. There are rogue protesters that pose risks to the safety of innocent civilians, which also attracts negative elements of the law. In addition, the environmental hazard that these protesters leave behind after a rally. Expect that there are tens of thousands of tons of garbage after a protest has been made along the streets, clogging canals and sewerage pipes.
5. A threat to Security: With the threat of terrorism and insurgencies across the country, EDSA anniversary could press a threat to the society. One main reason is that insurgents loves an event wherein there are tens of thousands of people that are gathered in a certain area. This is the best time for the terror groups to exercise their ruthless threats as a way to create coercion and intimidation to the targetted community. Since EDSA has a lesser support from the government due to its difference in political views, the security level provided for the protests are lesser, paving the way for the negative elements of the law to take it as an advantage to continue their terroristic ideology.
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*Will Duterte administration abolish it?
