As EDSA Turns 40, Top PH Schools Declare February 25 a Holiday

(SPOT.ph) The EDSA People Power Revolution turns 40 this year, but without a red-letter holiday to signal it, the milestone is easy to overlook. Even so, several top universities have chosen to formally recognize the occasion by suspending classes on February 25, 2026 to allow students, faculty, and staff to reflect on the significance of the peaceful uprising that ended the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dictatorship in 1986.

The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), which represents more than 1,500 Catholic schools nationwide, urged member institutions to suspend classes on February 25, describing EDSA as an “unfinished movement that demands vigilance, active participation and collective resolve from all sectors.” In line with that call, several schools followed with campus-wide pauses.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman suspended on-site classes on February 24 and February 25 for its Alternative Classroom Learning Experience, encouraging faculty to give incentives to students who join. At Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), the date has been declared a university holiday, with EDSA@40 commemoration activities scheduled for the community. In a memorandum, the university described the gathering as a “space for hope” amid what it called “widespread and brazen corruption, impunity, and inequality in our country today.”

Other universities have taken a similar approach, pairing class suspensions with campus programs. De La Salle University (DLSU) has lined up activities from February 16 to 27, including walk-through exhibits, candlelighting ceremonies, and screenings of The Kingmaker and A Thousand Cuts.

“As Lasallians, we mark forty years since People Power not only as a historical milestone, but as a call to defend democracy and confront justice,” the university said in a statement.

The anniversary has not consistently appeared on Malacañang’s official list of non-working holidays in recent years. In 2024, it was removed entirely, with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. saying it wasn’t declared a holiday since February 25 “falls on a Sunday.” It was once again recognized in 2025 and 2026, but only as a special working day.

Also read: What's the Difference Between a Regular Holiday and a Special Non-Working Day?

As a special working day, February 25 does not automatically suspend classes or work, leaving institutions to decide how, or whether, to mark it.

Besides ADMU and DLSU, the University of Santo Tomas, Adamson University, the University of the East, Claret School, La Consolacion University Philippines, College of Saint Benilde, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Angelicum College, St. Theresa's College, St. Scholastica's College, Philippine Normal University, San Sebastian College, Saint Paul University, Immaculate Conception Academy, Xavier School, Diliman School, and the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center have also issued advisories suspending classes and office operations on February 25, among other institutions.

“Hindi lamang ito araw sa kalendaryo, kundi alaalang ipinasa sa atin. Ang EDSA ay naging tagpuan ng pagkakaisa sa gitna ng pagkakaiba, pag-asa sa gitna ng pangamba, at paninindigan sa gitna ng karahasan,” Claret School of Quezon City said in a statement.

There’s also an EDSA Recall Youth Summit happening from February 24 to 25, organized for the public in partnership with CEAP, Ateneo de Manila University, Miriam College, the Ateneo Martial Law Museum and Library, and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan. The two-day event will include plenary sessions, a community mass, and educational tours.

“Forty years later, the lessons of EDSA remain urgent. Democracy is never self-sustaining. It demands vigilance, active participation, and fidelity to truth...To honor it authentically is to combat revisionism, defend democratic principles, and build a nation where justice, dignity, and peace are lived realities,” CEAP said.

Also read: LIST: 2026 Holidays and Long Weekends in the Philippines