With these words, former president Fidel V. Ramos, then Philippine armed forces chief of staff in 1986 severed his links to his cousin and boss, the powerful president of the Philippines, Ferdinand E.Marcos in that fateful day of February 25,1986.
It would later go down in history as Marcos’ last day in his 20-year old dictatorship, and the restoration of an elusive freedom for millions of Filipinos.
“ Eddie (Ramos’ nickname) stop this foolishness “ said Marcos in a telephone conversation in the dying hours of the EDSA I bloodless revolution. Previously, he and former defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile had ordered the strafing of the Presidential palace to deliver a strong hint that they are now in control of the air force and ultimately the military. Marcos got the message. In the stealth of night he and his family (Imelda, son and daughters including his trusted military top dog Gen. Fabian Ver)’hastily fled via a US helicopter that took them to Clark air base and then on to Hawaii where they lived in exile.
The dramatic events of EDSA 1 is now more than two decades old and had inspired similar uprisings in Europe like the Velvet revolution of Poland, the reunification of West and East Germany and more lately the so-called Arab springs in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen.
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THE MAIN PLAYERS OF EDSA, WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
After 26 years, some of the key characters have remained in and out of political circles and some in different roles:
Juan Ponce Enrile-now 88 years old but still in his best faculties. He is now the current Senate president. Hailed as hero for leading the EDSA revolution, he joined the Cory Aquino government as defense secretary but was fired months later on suspicion of masterminding a failed coup d’ etat. Today, as the presiding judge of a senate impeachment court hearing the case of Chief Justice Renato Corona, he has earned the admiration of both sides of the political spectrum for his fair and impartial handling of the celebrated case. This could be Enrile’s crowning glory in his long and illustrious career in government.
Mrs. Corazon Aquino-the direct recipient of EDSA 1, she was catapulted to the presidency, restoring democracy to the Philippines. Well loved by Filipinos, she died in August 1,2009.
Fidel V. Ramos, a cousin of Marcos, he was one of the enforcer of martial rule but over the years he was ignored and bypassed by Marcos for Gen. Fabian Ver as armed forces chief. A West Point graduate in the US, he turned the tide of the EDSA revolt in their favor through his deft handling of the psychological warfare against Marcos when he declared over nationwide radio that he had 2,000 troops on his side. And that more soldiers are defecting to the rebels’ side.
In fact, they had only some 257 men combined holed up in Camps Aguinaldo and Crame. Had Marcos known that, they could have easily overpowered them.
Ramos later succeeded Mrs. Aquino to the presidency in 1992.
.Imelda Romualdez Marcos- the first lady of President Marcos, also, Metro Manila Governor. She is now a congresswoman for Ilocos Norte. Despite numerous cases filed against her ,she remained unscathed. The influential woman behind Marcos and considered as the second most powerful during those times, she became a famous or (infamous)international figure for her alleged profligacy and love of shoes. After the 1986 revolt she faced a string of cases totaling almost a hundred but was never really convicted. Coming back to the Philippines, she and her family resurrected their political footholds in their bailiwicks of Ilocos Norte and Leyte. She is now a congresswoman representing Ilocos Norte while son Ferdinand “Bongbong or Bonget “ is a senator and daughter Imee Marcos is governor of the province. There are reports that soon, Bongbong will eye the presidency.
Gregorio “Gringo“ Honasan- former colonel and head of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement or (RAM), they plotted a coup against Marcos after the snap elections of 1985 but was discovered. The attempted coup triggered the Enrile breakaway and eventually the EDSA 1 revolution. Hailed as hero, he was later demonized for leading several coup attempts against the Aquino government and also against Gloria Arroyo. For the second time, he is now a senator of the Republic.
Jaime Cardinal Sin and the Filipino people-His role as the spiritual head of the Filipino Catholics sped up the mobilization of millions of Filipinos to provide moral and financial support to the cause of Enrile and Ramos during the tensed first days of the revolution, stopping tanks and other military personnel ordered to quell the uprising.
They stood their ground and this led to the defections of soldiers to the rebel side.
Sympathizers gave away free fried chicken dinners, drinks, and other essential services and materials to sustain the four day vigil until the
very end.
Gen. Fabian Ver- the third most powerful man in the Marcos regime and head of the military and intelligence apparatus of Marcos, it was said his lack of military experience and bungling led to the downfall of the Marcos government. At one point, he was vividly heard on national television of suggesting the bombardment of EDSA and the rebel soldiers but he was rebuffed by Marcos . Ver headed the so-called “Binondo Central bank“ the black-market that controlled the flow of dollars and other foreign exchanges in the country. He was said to have stashed along with her mistress a big hoard and millions of US dollars.
Ver died in Thailand some years back.
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