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“LET’S ALL BE PEOPLE POWER PEOPLE”
by Corazon C. Aquino
Twenty years ago, as Ninoy prepared to leave Boston, the two of us talked about possible scenarios regarding his arrival in Manila. Ninoy said that most likely, he would be arrested again and detained in Fort Bonifacio. Another possibility was that, since he had undergone a triple heart bypass in Dallas, Texas on May 13, 1980, the authorities might be inclined to confine him in the Philippine Heart Center. We were both hoping for a house arrest situation. Actually what Ninoy dreaded most was if Imelda Marcos met him at the airport! He had told me: "Ay, Cory, that would be the worst thing that could happen because I will never be able to explain to the people that I had not struck a deal with Marcos." Finally Ninoy said: "But if Marcos makes a mistake and has me killed, then that will be the best thing that will happen to me, because I have always wanted to die for our country."
And so Ninoy died at the hands of the dictatorship on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983. His death unleashed in us Filipinos a power that we did not know we had.
This power would germinate and grow in our people for two and a half years, until it exploded in February 1986, in the phenomenon that is known worldwide as People Power.
With our unarmed might, we protected the military and police from the tanks and cannons of the dictatorship, and with our collective will, we drove Marcos, his family, and his cronies out of Malacañang and out of the country.
Finally, the tragedy of Ninoy's death evolved into triumph for our people.
But 1986 was only the beginning of our deliverance - from want, injustice, and inequality. The People Power that drove away the dictator still had to be harnessed to create jobs and livelihood, deliver social services, bring about peace and order, and improve the lives of all our people.
However, unless People Power has been needed to counteract coups, shame some ambitious politicians, or remove an erring president, we have not seen enough of it where it should count in improving the lives of the majority of Filipinos who are poor.
Our historical experience in EDSA and thereafter has shown that our nationalistic fervor that rises quickly in times of crisis - as it did in EDSA in 1986 - ebbs just as fast when things return to normal, and our people go back to business and politics as usual.
Although I am grateful for those difficult times in my presidency, especially during the seven coup attempts against my administration, when the people rose as one to save the Republic, it would seem that we do have a tragic flaw in that we become conscious of ourselves as a nation only when we are pushed to the precipice. Most of the time, we don virtual blinders that fix our gaze on our parochial interests, unmindful of the awful social and economic realities around us.
It is disturbing to note that recent events have again shown the further erosion of our sense of nation - dim as it already is - and that we are reverting to our tribal nature, operating as self-interested groups that are separate and distinct from one another.
Going by the media alone, one would think the Philippines is utterly, hopelessly corrupt and inefficient, and that the Filipino is indifferent to the needs and demands of the people. It has saddened me to read that many of our youth, on whom we should be pinning our hopes for a brighter future, would rather leave the country and plant their stakes elsewhere.
Listening to the young coup plotters, it is distressing to note that some of the supposed best and brightest of our young men in uniform would resort to such a destructive option to effect lasting reforms in our country. In a dangerous combination of cynicism and a messianic complex, these soldiers who called themselves the "new Filipino heroes" were actually prepared to burn the entire house down because they found termites in one corner of the house. Dahil nakakita sila ng mga anay sa isang sulok ng bahay, ginusto n'ung Magdalo group na sunugin ang buong bahay.
These recent unfortunate events should bring us back to the basics of democracy - that all of us must share in the responsibility of building our nation.
As in 1983 and 1986, we must rediscover the power that is in us, a power rooted in selflessness, compassion, and a deep love for God and country. We have wielded this power before, and we know about its capacity to transform us to act for the common good. However, for some reason, we have not harnessed it enough to effect lasting reforms in ourselves and in our country.
It is in the spirit of reviving this power within us that I have invited you here today - to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ninoy's ultimate sacrifice in the best way I know - by celebrating the meaning of his life and death in this simple yet meaningful ceremony of recognizing 20 groups composed of individuals who have - like him- wielded that power, and shared their time, talent, and treasure to serve the Filipino people.
Today, I am formally launching the PEOPLE POWER PEOPLE MOVEMENT to honor Filipinos who have served their countrymen and women well - working quietly, willingly, neither seeking nor getting publicity, but making a real difference in their communities. They have brought health, livelihood, education, housing, and most important of all, hope and genuine empowerment, to our people - especially the poor, the neglected, the abused, and the oppressed.
I have decided to honor what I call People Power People in order to give all of us who love our country, especially our youth, another view of what is happening here, in spite of the gloom and doom that dominates our national consciousness. I want to share with all our people what is being done by many of our fellow Filipinos from all walks of life who have decided that all is not lost, that the Filipino is worth sacrificing their time, talent, and treasure for.
If only to prove that Ninoy did not die in vain, I would like to introduce to you today Filipinos who have untiringly dedicated their lives to the relentless pursuit of an overwhelming desire to serve others.
Ninoy was a man in a hurry - to get out of school, to be a journalist, to be mayor of his town, to be vice-governor and governor of his province, to be senator of the land, and, yes, he wanted to be president. It was as if he knew he didn't have enough time to get to wherever he wanted to go. So he rushed headlong into life, doing as much as he could, only to be stopped in his tracks in 1972 when Marcos declared martial law and imprisoned him, here in Fort Bonifacio for seven years and seven months.
But even during his incarceration, Ninoy did not stop being of service to the Filipino people. Quite unplanned for by the dictator, he became a symbol of the growing resistance to martial rule.
Even when he was allowed to go to the United States for heart surgery in 1980, where we lived happily together as a family in Boston for three years, Ninoy always wanted to come home, to be relevant to the country. He wanted to return, and join the struggle for the restoration of our freedoms.
It is this same quality, the need to be of service and dedication, that I see in the 20 People Power People groups we are presenting here today. These 20 are only the first of many exemplary groups that I will continue to seek out in the remaining years of my life.
I have met these People Power People in my travels around the country. I have documented their stories of struggle and triumph to show our countrymen that we do not lack for heroes in the Philippines. These are modest people doing extraordinary things for others. They have made the choice to take responsibility for the space around them to make life better for their communities.
They are doing this because they love their country and people, and they believe that an empowered citizenry makes a strong nation.
Drawing inspiration from Ninoy's ultimate sacrifice and the selfless response of many who have followed his path of sustained service to God and Country, I intend to pursue the People Power People Movement beyond elections and regime change. I intend to see it take root and flourish, regardless of who is president of our country, its fruits benefiting the Filipino people, and not any politician who might want to exploit it.
I have already announced that I have set aside politics to concentrate on the People Power People Movement. While some of the exemplary leaders we find along the way may eventually end up running for political office - and hopefully make a difference, I want to assure our people that this Movement will not be tainted with partisan politics.
I invite you, therefore, to be People Power People. There is so much to do for our country and our people, and I am certain that many of us present here who have been blessed can give so much more of ourselves to uplift others.
Think about it, if enough of us stopped complaining about how bad things are and did something to improve our environment, if we took responsibility for our communities, if we spent some of our precious time to care for the sick and the abused, if we pulled our resources so that we can raise capital to give others livelihood, if we show more compassion towards those who are displaced by natural and man-made disasters, if we placed duty to country and people ahead of our personal interests, if we set aside politics for the higher goal of national unity and progress, then we could - together - inspire and uplift, teach and transform society.
The 20 People Power People groups we are recognizing today and many more are doing just that.
Go around the country, or even just around your immediate surroundings, as I have, and meet the many People Power People around you. Listen to their stories, connect with their sorrows and joys, get involved in what they do in the best way you can and, believe me, you will learn so much from them, and will discover what it really means to live life here on earth.
We can begin to become People Power People by humbling ourselves and accepting the fact that we have not done enough for others, especially our brothers and sisters who have less in life. Let us resolve to do more from this day forward, so that one glorious day, we can all say: "WE ARE ALL PEOPLE POWER PEOPLE."
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