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THE EDSA
REVOLUTION
(EDSA - Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue
formerly known as Highway 54)
February 16, 1986: Cory Aquino and almost a million of her supporters
attend a rally in Rizal Park, Manila. She calls for a national campaign
of civil disobedience and a general strike to commence February 25 in
protest. Marcos intends to bring back martial law and he makes plans
for the arrest of Aquino and 10,000 of her followers in an attempt to
deal with her campaign of disobedience and general strikes. Marcos
issues warnings against the strike movement, which he threatens to
crush using his vast powers. Marcos makes plans to send out some of his
most loyal soldiers in civilian clothing. They would pretend to be
Aquino supporters and would go onto the streets of Metro Manila
spreading terror and violence. Marcos could then use this to justify
imposing martial law again, and have Aquino and her supporters arrested.
February 19, 1986: The US Senate passes a resolution condemning the
election.
February 22, 1986: A group of young officers in the military begin
making their own plans to overthrow President Marcos. The officers
involved want reform within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Their previous pleas for reform had been ignored by Marcos and General
Ver. Secretary of Defence Enrile and vice-chief of staff, Lieutenant
General Ramos sympathise with the officers that want reform. However,
Marcos finds out about the coup attempt by the military rebels. Those
who escape being arrested make their way to the Ministry of Defence at
Camp Aguinaldo. Directly across from Camp Aguinaldo is Camp Crame. In
between there is the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which is the
main means of access to both camps. EDSA is one of the main and most
important highways for traffic flow in Metro Manila. Enrile and Ramos
appeal to the military to join them in the revolt against Marcos. They
have only a few hundred soldiers to defend them. At 7pm, they hold a
press conference calling for Marcos to resign. At 11pm, Agapito Aquino,
Ninoy's brother, asks people to defend the rebels through the
church-operated station, Radio Veritas. A few hours later Cardinal Sin
repeats Agapito's call for support. Throughout the night, somewhere in
the region of a million people come out to defend the military rebels.
The EDSA Revolution or People Power Revolution begins.
February 23, 1986: EDSA and access to the military camps is now
completely jammed. A column of tanks roll down EDSA to remove the
rebels. However, the tanks stop when they reach the crowds of people
who stand their ground. The soldiers do not expect this kind of
resistance, and are not prepared to kill many unarmed civilians in
order to reach the military rebels. Radio Veritas is the only station
broadcasting news of the revolt. At 6pm, the station's transmitters are
blown up. At 11:45pm, Radio Bandido broadcasts news of the revolt.
February 24, 1986: At 6am, a formation of helicopter gun ships approach
Camp Crame. The crowds below can do nothing to stop an airborne attack.
After several minutes of hovering, the gun ships land at Camp Crame and
the crews join the revolt. At 9am, the government's main broadcasting
complex in Quezon City is taken over by rebels. The air force refuses
orders from General Ver to bomb Camp Crame. At 11am, a single
helicopter approaches the presidential residence and fires six rockets
at Malacañan Palace. The naval base at Cavite reports to the
rebels that warships were on station at the mouth of the Pasig River
and are standing by for orders to shell Malacañan Palace. The US
ambassador in the Philippines personally forwards a message from the US
to Marcos that if he does not step down, civil war will be the outcome.
Later, Marcos receives a message from President Reagan that he, his
family and close associates would be welcome to live in the US.
February 25, 1986: Most of the military have deserted Marcos in support
of Aquino. At 10:30pm, Aquino and Laurel are sworn in as president and
vice-president respectively, in a suburban Manila nightclub, Club
Filipino, by Associate Justice Teehankee. President Aquino immediately
restores the basic civil liberties of free speech, freedom of assembly
and a free press. President Aquino issues Proclamation No. 3, the
adoption of a temporary constitution and a transitional government.
This is known as the Freedom Constitution. Only two hours after Aquino
has been sworn in as president, Marcos also tries to take office in a
separate ceremony in Malacañan Palace. Only the Soviet Union
ambassador attends. The broadcast of the ceremony is cut off just after
it begins. Angry crowds gather outside Malacañan Palace in the
afternoon. Marcos telephones Enrile to ask for American protection
while leaving Malacañan Palace. At 9:05pm, American helicopters
evacuate Marcos and 120 others to Clark Air Base.
February 27, 1986: Although Marcos wants to recoup at Laoag, his
political base in Northern Luzon, he and his party leave at dawn for
Guam and then Hawaii at the insistence of President Aquino. Marcos has
left the Philippines in a bankrupt state with a debt of about US$28
billion.
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