MASTERY 3 AMERICAN HISTORY FALL SEMESTER 2018-2019
PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION
ADRIENNE HEYROSA
SUMMARY
The People Power Revolution, also known as the Yellow Revolution, occurred in December 1986.
Prior to the revolution, the Philippines was under an oppressive and tyrannical government by Ferdinand Marcos, living under martial law. People who opposed the government were killed. Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino was an advocate for democracy; hence, he was shot. His wife, Corazon Aquino, started to lead a rebellion against the government.
To keep power, Marcos held a snap election, which is an election held earlier than normal. However, the election was full of electoral fraud. The vote was counted by two different groups: the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and the NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections). Manila, the capital of the Philippines, essentially snapped.
The revolt started when the Defense Minister and the Armed Forces Vice-Chief of Staff withdrew their support from the government and called for the resignation of President Marcos. They barricaded the Philippine Police Headquarters and the headquarters of the AFP (Air Force of the Philippines) and had their troops ready in case of military attack. At the same time, the Catholic Church called for all Filipinos to march in the streets for democracy. According to Philippine History, “It was an empowering demonstration that aimed to succeed peacefully with the intervention of faith. Nuns kneeled in front of tanks with rosaries in their hands and uttering their prayers.”
According to Britannica, Marcos was exiled from the Philippines. Per the US' urging, Marcos was flown out of the Philippines by the US, where then he was given refuge in Hawaii and lived there for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, Corazon Aquino was rightfully elected president of the Philippines. She became the first female president of the Philippines.
INTERVIEW
I interviewed my Great-Uncle on EST December 1st, which is the anniversary of when the revolt started. I have an audio recording of it uploaded here. The image shown here is a photo of Camp Aguinaldo, (the sign is in Tagalog; it reads "Kampo Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo"), which is the camp where the rebels were in that my Great-Uncle bombed.
photos
CONCLUSION
The People Power Revolution was a definite win for democracy. The Revolution showed that true democracy can win. According to my great-uncle, the revolution was justified because it was caused by the will of the people. He said, "If the people say we should overthrow this government, then it's justified," because a government should be for the people.
The People Power Revolution may not have come entirely from inside the Philippines, though. During WWII, the Philippines, along with the entire rest of Southeast Asia, was occupied by Japan before they were all liberated by the US. Filipinos probably saw the positive effects from the US and hence, wanted to be like the US, so they leaned towards democracy. In the 1950s, East Asia experienced the Korean war, which was a war between communist North Korea and Western-idealized South Korea. Again, the Philippines, given that they are in Southeast Asia, could probably see the impact that the US had on keeping communism from spreading to South Korea with their democratic and capitalist ideas. Since the US was such a saving grace for East and Southeast Asia, the Philippines probably wanted to follow its example by pushing for a strong democracy.