History

On February 25, 1986, two candidates took their oath for the presidency of the Republic of the Philippines. One was the incumbent, one of the most powerful men in the country’s history and the world. The other was the widow of his staunchest political rival.

Two days before, on February 23,1986, millions of Filipinos began to amass at the Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA). They answered the call of Manila’s Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin to defend former Marcos loyalists General Fidel V. Ramos, who was then the chief of the Philippine Constabulary and Juan Ponce Enrile the Minister of Defense. They set up a human barricade that faced the worst of President Ferdinand Marcos’ military machinery. Armed with rosaries and flowers, nuns, priests, students, workers and a representative of virtually every sector in society stood between the guns and tanks and the rebels, protesting the snap election results that were held on February 7, 1986. While the Commission on Elections declared Marcos winner, events led to the eventual inauguration of Corazon C. Aquino, widow of slain senator Ninoy Aquino.

“The Filipino is worth dying for.” - Ninoy Aquino.

The end of the Marcos Administration did not begin in 1986. It actually began with Ninoy Aquino’s assassination at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. While high-ranking officials of his administration including chief of Staff General Fabian Ver were tried and acquitted for the murder, Marcos’ credibility deteriorated among many Filipinos. Ninoy’s death was a catalyst for change after almost 10 years of Martial rule.

On November 3, 1985, Marcos unpredictably declared a snap election on American TV channel ABC during an interview with broadcast journalist Ted Koppel. The opposition found a suitable and viable standard bearer in Corazon C. Aquino. They gathered one million signatures to convince her to run - and she did.

From housewife to president, Mrs. Aquino became a ray of light to many Filipinos who dreamt of freedom and democracy.

And, as President Marcos ended his term and “cut, and cut cleanly” as US Senator Laxalt put it, CBS NEWS Anchor Dan Rather summed up this historic event, “This could be as close as the 20th century has come to storming the Bastille. But what’s remarkable is how little violence there has been. We Americans like to think that we taught Filipinos democracy, well tonight they are teaching the world.”

Its Relevance Today:

Laban does not only chronicle the People Power Revolution, but speaks about the events that led up to its culmination, from Martial Law to the controversial 1986 Snap Elections. It is told from the point of view of those that lived through that era and had the power to influence it. Their account of the event is made unique and unprecedented by their retrospective view in answering the question, “Did the People Power Revolution truly bring democracy to the Philippines?”

Just very recently, the Supreme Court junked the People’s Initiative for Charter Change. The move would have changed the Philippine system of government to Parliamentary from Presidential, reminiscent of the Marcos Era. While many agree that the current system of government is far from perfect, the intentions of the current administration to change its system shortly before an election are held in question. It is also in this context that the film Laban is a relevant commentary on the Philippines’ recent past and the many probable scenarios for its future.