People Power Revolution in the Philippines

From February 22 to 25, 1986, hundreds of thousands, and at their peak perhaps two million people filled Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Manila to protect rebel soldiers and demand an end to the rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Soldiers and tanks sent to disperse them were stopped by crowds that offered flowers and prayers. On February 25, Marcos and his family were flown out of the presidential palace by US helicopters, to Hawaii, and Corazon Aquino was sworn in as president.¹

Marcos had been president since 1965 and ruled under martial law from 1972, with widespread abuses and corruption. The assassination of his rival Benigno Aquino Jr. at Manila airport in August 1983 turned many Filipinos against him, and the economy was in deep trouble. Under pressure, including from the United States, a long-standing ally, Marcos called a snap election for February 7, 1986. Corazon Aquino, the widow, ran against him. The official count said Marcos won, but the poll watchdog NAMFREL and the Catholic bishops reported fraud, and a walkout of computer workers made the claims credible.¹²

The revolt began when Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos broke with Marcos and barricaded themselves in two camps. Cardinal Jaime Sin appealed over the radio for people to gather and protect them, and civilians poured onto the streets. The relative bloodlessness and the central role of ordinary people made it a model for later nonviolent uprisings. The new government wrote a 1987 constitution, but Aquino's years in office were troubled by coup attempts, and the Marcos family later returned: his son Ferdinand Jr. was elected president in 2022.¹²