THE EVE OF EDSA PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

Feb. 21, 1986 was neither earthshaking nor electrifying; it was very ordinary day. It fell on a Friday to enable white and blue collar workers to go out for their usual weekend shopping binge.

But it could not be denied that tension was quietly building over the past few days. It was building up like a dam that was about to burst.

The civil disobedience campaign, which opposition leader Cory Aquino had called on Feb. 16 to protest the massive cheating by the Marcos dictatorship in the Feb. 7 “snap” presidential elections, had gained momentum, causing disturbing and deep apprehension for the targeted and affected parties.

From all indications, the civil disobedience campaign was proving to be a stunning success, as citizens started withdrawing from seven crony banks, refrained from buying copies of the crony newspapers, and stopped procuring products of crony manufacturing firms.

On its sixth day, the boycott movement hurt the finances of affected parties, which prompted their top managers to hold emergency crisis meetings to stem the tide of the people’s anger reflected by their declining sales.

Huge withdrawals were reported in seven crony banks - Security Bank and Trust Company, United Coconut Planters Bank, Republic Planters Bank, Traders Royal Bank, Union Bank, and Commercial Bank of Manila. The withdrawn funds were subsequently transferred to banks perceived not belonging to any of the crony of dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Newsboys had stopped peddling copies of the crony newspapers – Daily Express, Times Journal, and Bulletin Today. They were hardly being bought anyway, the newsboys claimed.

Sales of the copies of the non-crony – or alternative - newspapers – Ang Pahayagang Malaya, newly established Philippine Daily Inquirer, and revived Manila Times – were on a continued upswing.

Sales of San Miguel Corporation products were on a steady decline too. Citizens refrained from consuming SMC products like beer, soda drinks, SMC branded food products, among others. SMC had emergency meetings, where its executives decided to lower the prices of their products.

The civil disobedience campaign was a major nationwide act of defiance that enhanced the fight against the Marcos dictatorship. It was premised on Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence.

Marcos could not do anything significant. Although the Batasang Pambansa had proclaimed him winner of the snap elections, the entire country hardly felt he had the mandate to govern effectively.

Marcos was purely on the defensive, as if he was a defanged tiger.

Marcos could only provide feeble answers to the snowballing civil disobedience campaign.

On Feb. 17, Marcos had extended the term of controversial Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Fabian Ver by another month, although he indicated he had to go at some point, which was unclear anyway.

Marcos had scheduled his inauguration on Feb. 25, but he also expressed apprehension that members of the diplomatic corps, composed of embassy officials and consular officers based in Manila, would not attend.

Their failure to attend could indicate that the international community did not recognize the legitimacy of his reelection, adversely affecting his reputation in the community of nations.

His isolation in the international community became more pronounced, when the U.S. Congress passed a resolution on Feb. 20 suspending all foreign aid to the Philippines.

Moreover, Manila-based ambassadors of 14 European countries and Japan had called on Cory Aquino to indicate their recognition that she was the rightful winner in the last elections.

Hence, the international pressures on the Marcos dictatorship was getting more pronounced. Marcos was obviously concerned of those developments.

Meanwhile, the leftwing Bayan had decided, albeit belatedly, to join the snowballing civil disobedience.

On Feb. 19, the leadership of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) had decided to launch its military coup on Feb. 23, which fell on a Sunday.

Everything was getting ripe for an earthshaking, game-changing political cataclysm. Nobody had thought of the EDSA People Power Revolution. But it was something bound to happen.