BLOODLESS REVOLUTION During the height of what will be known as the People Power Revolution in 1986, people filled the stretch of Edsa from Ortigas Avenue to Cubao to support and protect the military officials and their followers who demanded the immediate ouster of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Photo belowshows Catholic nuns and civilians greeting a government soldier on board his V-150 armored tank on Edsa. 鈥� INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� As the nation marked the 39th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution on Tuesday, 163 bishops, priests, nuns, and members of religious groups have called on Filipinos to uphold the spirit of the revolution by standing against oppression and advocating for justice.
In a joint statement titled 鈥淟iving Out the Spirit of Edsa: A Call to the Church People,鈥� the religious leaders emphasized that the 1986 uprising was not just a political event but a 鈥渕oral and spiritual awakening.鈥�
鈥淭he victory of Edsa was not just a political triumph; it was a moral and spiritual awakening,鈥� the statement reads. 鈥淚t showed us that courage, compassion, and solidarity could break the chains of dictatorship.鈥�
Signatories included apostolic vicars and bishops from the Catholic Church, bishops from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, priests and members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, nuns from the Asia Missionary Sisters of Sr. Charles Borromeo, Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena 鈥� Philippines, and members of the United Methodist Church.
Notable signatories were Apostolic Vicar of Taytay Broderick Pabillo, San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, Gumaca Bishop Eugenius Longakit Ca帽ete, Calbayog Bishop Isabelo C. Abarquez, and Archdiocese of Cebu Vicar for Social Advocacies Nazario 鈥淎ce鈥� Vocales.
The church leaders warned against remaining silent amid injustices, noting that the same powerful family unseated in 1986 is back in office, perpetuating a system that keeps many Filipinos in 鈥減overty, silence, and fear.鈥�
鈥淎s a Church, we cannot be neutral. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity,鈥� they said, urging the faithful to act as 鈥渢he voice of the voiceless, to expose lies with truth, and to resist evil with love.鈥�
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They also called for vigilance against historical revisionism and the spread of disinformation, emphasizing the need to educate communities about the realities of injustice and threats to democracy.
鈥淟iving out the spirit of Edsa means more than remembering history 鈥� it means embracing a continuing commitment to social transformation,鈥� they added.
The religious leaders likewise cited biblical teachings, quoting Proverbs 31:8-9: 鈥淪peak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.鈥�
They also challenged the faithful.
鈥淭he spirit of Edsa is alive whenever we choose to act in faith, speak truth to power, and build a nation where justice and peace reign,鈥� they said.
READ: Marcos admin can鈥檛 erase Edsa Revolt鈥檚 memory 鈥� Aquino鈥檚 grandson
鈥淭he struggle for justice cannot be fought alone. Just as Edsa was a collective movement, we must build communities of resistance and hope, standing together in the fight against corruption, disinformation, and oppression,鈥� they added.