My Recollections of EDSA People Power of 1986

I was a young seminarian then, in my fifth year in the seminary, when EDSA People Power happened in February of 1986. Fresh from my novitiate year, the feeling I had was that of excitement, more than fear. There were military airplanes and helicopters flying over Santo Domingo Church and convent, where our seminary was located. On the radio, we were listening to June Kiethley of Radio Veritas, broadcasting from an undisclosed location. Jaime Cardinal Sin’s appeal for the faithful to go to Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame in EDSA (short for Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue) was replayed many times over the radio.

Fr. Honorato Castigador, OP was our prior then (the superior of the convent or priory). On the first day of EDSA People Power, the religious community of Santo Domingo Convent decided to bring the image (a replica) of Our Lady of the Rosary – “La Naval de Manila” to Camp Aguinaldo. A parishioner offered to lend a truck on which we can transport the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and also where we can ride to go to EDSA. Most of the members of our religious community joined the group who held a vigil in one of the gates of Camp Aguinaldo. We stayed overnight around the camp. All of us were wearing our Dominican habit.

There were a lot of people around Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame. There were also a lot of soldiers at the gates of the camps, they were in full battle gears. I saw many religious sisters, priests and seminarians. Many people in the crowd were carrying transistor radios and listening to updates on what was going on. Most of those who were at the gates of the camps were praying the rosary. There was news that the forces loyal to Marcos will attack the two military camps at EDSA, coming from Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. Some civilian leaders gave us instructions on what to do if in case the loyalist forces will throw tear gas on the crowds, or attack the camps. We went to the camps at night, because they said that it was the most critical time, when the attacks might happen. The atmosphere was tensed.

On the second day that we went to EDSA, the atmosphere was more like a fiesta than a civil war. Thousands of people flooded the highway. I could imagine that from a high vantage point, one can see a sea of humanity. There were vendors of all sorts selling any imaginable merchandise: t-shirts, fans, water, cold drinks and all sorts of street food. There were also volunteer groups giving away free sandwiches, packed meals and drinks to soldiers and civilian volunteers who were guarding the gates of the camps.

On the last night of the historic non-violent EDSA People Power revolution, we were at Malacañan Palace. With arms locked, and carrying the image of Our Lady of La Naval, we marched to the gate of the palace with other civilians beside us and behind us. Then news that the Marcos family has already left the country was announced over the radio. The people began celebrating in jubilation. Everybody was flashing the “Laban” sign with hands raised and fingers forming the letter L with the thumb and forefinger. There were smiles on the faces of people in the crowd. Some broke into tears of joy. Then we reached the point where soldiers and religious sisters had formed a human barricade, facing civilian Marcos loyalists who wanted to get out of the area. They began throwing stones at us to force their way out. It was a good thing that we were protected by the shields of the soldiers which they held over our heads. It was chaotic and at the same time frightening. I was just thankful that we got out of it alive and unharmed. The Blessed Virgin Mary must have protected us.