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The Politics of Making Us Forget
The Politics of Making Us Forget
Gerardo Joaquin Sinco, 1986
The irony sticks that the son of the dictator decides whether the anniversary of his father’s ouster is worth commemorating. That father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., ruled for two decades before being removed by millions of Filipinos demanding accountability, freedom, and an end to systemic abuse. The EDSA People Power Revolution serves as a defiant memory. It proved that the Philippines will not yield to the cruelty of those who abuse their power.
For decades, February 25 functioned as a national pause. From the so-called “bloodless” revolution from February 23–25 in ’86, the yearly commemoration of EDSA People Power Revolution is a moment to remember, to reflect, and to relearn history, and it being declared as a non-working holiday is for celebratory rest and action.
However, under the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that recognition has shifted. Pursuant to Proclamation No. 1006, series of 2025, issued by the Malacañang Palace, the EDSA Revolution Anniversary was declared a Special Working Day. Work and regular operations in LGU shall continue under Normal Schedule, and the holiday is no longer recognized as a day to spend in commemoration.
The removal of the EDSA People Power Revolution from the list of special non-working holidays has been framed as productivity. More workdays, they claim, equals more output. But for a nation still embraced in the shadows of the President’s family, the cost of the holiday is far more than a day’s worth of GDP. A holiday is a public statement of a country’s values. When the government demotes one of our most significant historical wins to a regular workday, it signals that the country’s hard-won democracy is no longer worth the national reflection.
This move is detrimental for the youth. Students are already caught in a crossfire of digital misinformation and alternative histories. When the government stops recognizing the day the dictatorship fell, it subtly signals that the event is no longer essential to our national identity. It transforms a revolution into just another textbook chapter, something easily flipped past and eventually forgotten.
A nation that forgets history consents to repeat it. No rescheduling, no proclamation, and no decree will erase the truth of the revolution. February 25 remains a testament to what collective courage can achieve, whether printed on the calendar or not. The holiday of the EDSA People Power Revolution is a reminder, and should always be, that it should not be something that’s hidden under new reigns, erasing the history of our people.
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