25/02/2026
Forty years ago, Filipinos from different walks of life gathered on the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue to demand freedom, justice, and democracy. In courage and solidarity, ordinary citizens stood against tyranny and proved that the collective voice of the people is stronger than any dictatorship. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐๐; ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
The Marcos dictatorship was built on greed, plunder, and fear. For two decades, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his cronies bled the nation dry, stealing billions from the people while the economy collapsed and several Filipinos were driven into poverty. The burden of the overwhelming debt the country had under Marcos' dictatorship did not end with its fall. Filipinos continue to pay for it until today, carrying the cost of a regime that enriched itself while leaving generations in hardship.
The two-decade dictatorship was defined not only by corruption but also by bloodshed. Extrajudicial killings became the hallmark of Martial Law, striking fear in communities. Several Filipinos were imprisoned without clear charges and subjected to torture. Survivors spoke of relentless beatings, electrocution, sexual assault, and psychological torment aimed to break their will and silence dissent. Families were left grieving and searching for their loved ones who had vanished after being abducted by state forces. One thingโs certain, the Martial Law was not a time of discipline and order. Instead, it was a time of fear, violence, and injustice, where dictatorship thrived on impunity and the destruction of freedom.
The injustices that compelled Filipinos to rise at EDSA persist at this moment. Historical revisionism seeks to erase the crimes of authoritarian rule, while corruption, inequality, and impunity continue to shape our politics. The return of the Marcoses to Malacaรฑang is a betrayal of the freedom and democracy the people fought for. Under another Marcos regime, Filipinos struggle with high prices, poor services, and a government that favors the powerful. The current administration is marked not by service but by empty display, where propaganda replaces accountability and history is twisted to erase the crimes of the past.
It is also important to turn our attention to the Marcosesโ involvement in the recent flood control scandal. Since 2023, the nation has lost an estimated 42.3โ118.5 billion Philippine pesos a year from flood control corruption (Calimbahin, 2025). Martin Romualdez, Ferdinand โBongbongโ Marcos Jr.โs cousin, was directly implicated in this (Argosino, 2025). Marcos himself has also been alleged by Zaldy Co as the alleged masterminds behind the P100 billion in the 2025 national budget, alongside his cousin (Sampang, 2025). While Marcos continues to wash away calls for his accountability in this matter, thousands of Filipinos have died or been displaced as a direct result of this corruption. Ordinary citizens struggle in their day-to-day lives while the Marcoses and their cronies continue to feast on taxpayer money and ill-gotten wealth.
The UP Venerable Lady Veterinarians Sorority stands with the nation in remembering EDSA not only as history but as a living testament to the courage of the people. It was a moment when the voices of those who resisted repression became the foundation of restored freedoms. ๐ง๐ผ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ธ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ. ๐ง๐ผ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฆ๐.
To commemorate EDSA is not only to remember โ it is to act. It is to confront injustice, demand accountability, and remind those in power that sovereignty does not belong to them but to the nation. The spirit of EDSA calls us to stand together with the unwavering belief that true power rests in the collective will of the Filipino. We refuse to forget. We refuse to be silent.
๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ผ. ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ค.
