February 25 marks the 37th anniversary of the EDSA or People Power uprising. It is a huge irony that on this date, the president of the country is none other than the son of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., who was ousted from power by the people in February 1986. The succeeding leaders did not hold the Marcos family accountable for their crimes during the dictatorship, nor was the wealth stolen by the Marcoses ever fully recovered.
Despite the fall of the fascist US-Marcos Dictatorship, the succeeding “democratic” regimes maintained the policies that continue to oppress the majority and intensify the never ending crisis of the Filipino society. The return to power of the Marcoses is proof of the rotten and unchanged system dominated by bureaucrat capitalism, feudalism, and imperialism.
In the past eight months, Marcos Jr. has been ignorant, hypocritical, and useless in his response to the daily problems of the broad masses: the rising prices of goods, incredibly low wages, lack of decent jobs, and the economic downturn. The latest example is his detestable and shameless call for honest and timely payment of taxes. The people have yet to recover from the militarized lock down imposed by the Duterte regime as its response to COVID-19, and now their meager wages will be further reduced by high inflation rates and the paying off of debts accumulated during the time of the pandemic. This regime is broadcasting economic recovery, but this rhetoric only serves to cover up the widespread hunger and suffering that is rooted in the deep and protracted crisis of a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society.
The EDSA anniversary leaves us a valuable lesson. The issues and problems that mobilized the people against the US-Marcos Dictatorship then are still the fundamental issues and problems that push us to continue the fight, now under the US-Marcos Jr. regime. Let us mobilize to commemorate the People Power uprising by carrying the spirit and lessons of the vibrant struggle against the dictatorship, and forge ahead toward a future with decent livelihood, genuine freedom and democracy, and peace based on justice.
Mobilize this week to the events below:
Thursday, February 23, 5:30PM PT (8:30 ET): From the US to the Philippines: A Panel on Labor Solidarity | tinyurl.com/labor-sol
The panel will give a platform for workers in the US and the Philippines to speak on the importance of building international solidarity for trade union organizing and struggles in the Philippines, the United States, and all over the world. Participating unions and organizations from the Philippines will include: Kilusang Mayo Uno; Alliance of Concerned Teachers; BPO Industry Employees Network; and Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines
Friday, February 24: National Day of Action for EDSA 37
Mobilize to a protest action to commemorate EDSA 37 near you. Information on actions will be regularly updated on this page
Saturday, February 25, 3-5PM PT (6-8 ET): Malaya Movement USA 5th Anniversary Cultural Celebration: Tandaan at Tumindig, Remember History, Fight for the Future! | tinyurl.com/rsvp-feb25
Join an online cultural celebration as we remember the past five years of the Malaya Movement USA. Through cultural performances and testimonies, we’ll uplift the campaigns and victories of the movement, the stories of our members, and the continued call to resist and defeat fascism in the Philippines under the Marcos-Duterte regime.