The radio crackled with a foreboding sense of urgency. For centuries, the Filipino People's blood was shed to attain sovereignty— it was history and there had to be a price to pay. Then, tides turned on February 22, 1986. Cardinal Jaime Sin decided prayer was the answer to a bloodless revolt.
Four decades ago, Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) witnessed the epiphany of marriage between two diverging powers of the nation. Religion and politics have long been forbidden lovers through time. They understood each other's ways but one always had to differ. The law weighed morality but morals were deemed immovable to the church.
When Manila Archbishop Cardinal Sin called the people and the church to action through Radyo Veritas, it wasn't just an impulse. The country had to breathe. During the impenetrable reign of the bloody Marcos regime, ominous events took place beyond the news. Malacañang Palace didn't just hold the former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ thousands of pairs of shoes— it hid the secrets that tainted their perfect electoral images.
The years 1972 to 1986 weren't just mere numbers to Filipinos, they were a ticking time bomb, with hundreds of people disappearing day after day for having spoken up against the regime. It symbolized oppression beyond gold. There are always two sides of a coin. While others might have perceived it as the “Golden Era”, the people fail to see the skeletons buried in the gold mine. Skeletons that whisper tales foregoing corruption and into something deeper— total control of democracy.
Those two decades of “tight-lipped, eyes shut“ media control weren't just fiction. It was so real that the church meddled with matters of the state— severing an unspoken promise not to.
On February 25, 1986— exactly forty years ago, a miracle was witnessed by the protesters marching on EDSA. Leading the people and braving the frontlines of young Filipino activists weren't military or armed gunslingers. They were nuns, priests, and church folk forming a human barricade to protect those people and their call for help. Only rosaries in hand, they faced Marcos' military head to head without fear for anyone, not even the estranged dictator but the Almighty.
The guns, tanks, and weaponry ready for battle stood still. Beyond the trigger were Filipino soldiers whose faith was stronger than the fear and no dictator could stop them. These soldiers dropped their guns and joined the march that ousted Ferdinand Marcos Sr. off his long overdue reign of terror.
Religion and politics don't go hand in hand. However, at the expense of the greater good, they set their differences aside to make a difference. Faith teaches us to love our enemy and the law tells us to avenge our losses—but on that day, they united and the rosary rally won against bullet rounds.
Written by Gillian Grace Reyes, Insight PH
Gillian Grace Reyes, Insight PH is a dedicated campus journalist and contributor. Their insightful writing sparks meaningful conversations and keeps the community informed.
