Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday greeted the nation on the 36th anniversary of the People Power Revolution that restored democracy in the Philippines, with a reminder that its spirit transcends surnames.
Waged for days on EDSA, People Power saw hundreds of thousands march to the streets, forcing the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos into exile and ending his two-decade-long rule and installed into the presidency Corazon Aquino, the widow of his political nemesis who was assassinated three years prior.
As Filipinos prepare to elect a new set of leaders on May 9, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. leads opinion polls in the race to succeed President Rodrigo Duterte. Robredo, who beat Marcos Jr. for the vice president in 2016, is in second place.
"Higit pa sa pangalan o apelyido ang diwa ng araw na ito. Ang kuwento ng EDSA, kuwento ng pagtindig at paglaban para sa pangarap ng paglaya," Robredo said.
While she chairs the Liberal Party that is identified with the Aquinos, Robredo is running as an independent and has adopted the color pink for her grassroots-based campaign.
"Kuwento ito ng pagkakaisa— ng kabataan at matatanda, ng buong bansa, ng mga madreng lumuluhod sa harap ng baril at sa mga sundalong di mapigilang maluha nang sabitan ng rosaryo ang mga baril na ito. Kuwento ito ng pagmamahal," she said, recalling scenes from EDSA 1986 where nuns bearing flowers and rosaries stopped Army tanks on their tracks.
"Puso at pagmamahal ang nagdala ng tagumpay ng bayan sa EDSA. At tuwing isinasabuhay natin ang pagmamahal na ito— People Power man o People’s Campaign; sa mapayapang rebolusyon man o napakahalagang halalan—kaisa natin ang lahat ng henerasyong nauna at susunod pa: Sa pagtindig, pagkakapit-bisig, at pagbubukas ng loob sa kapwa, sa ngalan ng isang maunlad, mapagpalaya, at makataong bukas," she said.
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Politics of Color: How Red, Pink, Yellow Unite and Divide
Can The Yellows Overcome Identity Crisis Before the Elections?
Three Decades After EDSA 1: Are Hashtags the New People Power?