EDSA revolution
The EDSA Revolution was a peaceful civil protest movement in the Philippines that led to the overthrow of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos from February 23-25, 1986 . It is in the Philippines and Peoples Power Revolution ( dt: people's revolution ) or Philippine Revolution of 1986 called. It was named after Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA for short), where the largest demonstrations took place.
prehistory
The EDSA revolution was primarily directed against the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos. This was elected democratically in 1967, but the internal contradictions in the country intensified during his first presidency. Violent clashes broke out on the island of Mindanao until 1971 , after which the Moros National Liberation Front (MNLF) was founded in 1967 and the Nuevo Ejército del Pueblo in 1969, which waged a guerrilla war against the central government. In addition, the First Quarter Storm , a left student movement, began from January to March 1970 . In the following years there were repeated bombings in the capital Manila , which the government blamed on the communists . Later investigations revealed that the attacks were commissioned by the government. Among other things, nine people were killed and 100 seriously injured in a bomb attack on Plaza Miranda in Manila at a rally of the opposition Liberal Party on August 21, 1971, eight of whom were Senate candidates from the Liberal Party. The administration of Marcos assumed more and more dictatorial features until he had martial law imposed on September 21, 1972, with the result that around 30,000 people were imprisoned, the media were brought into line and opposition political parties were banned, these measures forced many opposition members into action Exile. Marcos set up a regime that was characterized by massive repression, corruption and nepotism as he had large parts of the economy distributed to his family and beneficiaries.
The most important opposition leader at this time was Benigno Aquino junior , who was arrested on September 23, 1972. He was accused of contract killings, illegal possession of weapons and subversive motives. Aquino was sentenced to death by shooting by a military tribunal on November 25, 1977 . However, the sentence was not carried out. On May 9, 1980, Imelda Marcos offered him the opportunity to emigrate to the USA with his family . He accepted the offer and moved to Newton in the state of Massachusetts . In 1983 he decided to return to the Philippines under a false identity. He took the name Marcial Bonifacio, but his plan was revealed and he was shot dead in Manila Airport on August 21, 1983 .
Under the impact of Aquino's violent death, a broad citizens' movement developed, especially in the capital region Metro Manila and there was a real martyr - cult to Aquino.
Presidential election February 7, 1986
Under the pressure of the growing civil movement and political pressure from the USA, Marcos announced early elections on November 23, 1985 . As presidential candidates, the teams Ferdinand Marcos, Arturo Tolentino , as vice-president, and for the opposition Corazon Aquino in the team with Salvador Laurel were nominated. The election took place on February 7, 1986, with Marcos claiming victory for himself. The official election result was 10,807,197 for Marcos and 9,291,761 votes for Aquino. However, the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) came to a different result when they counted 7,835,070 votes for Aquino and 7,053,068 votes for Marcos. After the election, voices were raised accusing Marcos of election fraud and international observers of the election approved. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the US called the elections unfair and fraudulent. However, Marcos was declared the election winner on February 15.
The EDSA revolution
Under the impression of the faked election result, opposition groups in the military began to organize under the leadership of Juan Ponce Enrile . At 3 p.m. on February 22, the military rebellion began . Other high-ranking military officials joined Enrile, including Fidel Ramos . The now mutinous military units then began to occupy Manila Airport , radio stations and military bases around Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. The mutiners' headquarters were in Camp Aguinaldo.
Cardinal Jaime Lachica Sin supported the revolt and called on the illegal radio station Radio Veritas to peacefully protect the mutinous military units so that there would be no bloodshed. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people moved to the military bases on EDSA Avenue and blocked the Marcos loyal troops. Nuns and priests support the demonstrators and on February 24th, more than a million Filipinos were already on the streets of Manila. At 1:30 p.m. Marine units loyal to Marcos advanced with transports and tanks down Ortigas Avenue to take Camp Crame. However, they were stopped by the crowds a kilometer from the military base. The commander, General Artemio Tadiar, gave the order to fire. However, this was ignored by the officers and soldiers.
Corazon Aquino arrived at the airport from Cebu City around 3 p.m. , praised the behavior of the people and called for the overthrow of the Marcos regime. At around 7 p.m., Fidel Ramos announced that a new armed force would be set up and a new government under Aquino. As a result, a large part of the Marcos loyal troops ran over to the insurgents on February 25.
On February 25, Marcos was sworn in as the President of the Philippines in the Malacañang Palace and Aquino in the Club Filipino . However, Marcos fled the same day on the advice of his advisors, the American ambassador and US Senator Paul Laxalt . Laxalt urged him to make a radical cut and make room for the new democratic government. Then Marcos and his wife were flown to Clark Air Base near Angeles City . From there he traveled to Guam and later to Hawaii .
After Marcos' escape, the EDSA revolution was officially declared over and the 20-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos ended. This event was one of the few peaceful revolutions that went without bloodshed, without a shot, and without a death.
Radio recordings of the revolution
The radio recordings of the revolution, broadcast by several radio stations, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003 as "a chronicle of a nation and its people at a crucial point in its history".
Web links
- Overview of the EDSA Revolution (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Radio Broadcast of the Philippine People Power Revolution | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved on August 26, 2017 .