In 1983, the popular oppositionist senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr, was assassinated at the Manila International Airport after returning from a three-year long exile in the United States. His death shocked and outraged Filipinos, most of whom had by then lost confidence in Marcos' leadership. Following this, his wife Corazon "Cory" Aquino became a popular rallying figure against the Marcos dictatorship.
On November 23, 1985, Marcos, after alleged pressure from Washington, suddenly announced that there would be a snap presidential elections early next year, one year ahead of schedule. The growing opposition movement fielded Aquino as their presidential candidate, with Salvador Laurel running for vice-president. Marcos himself ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentino as his running mate.
The elections were held on February 7, 1986. The electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results. The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the victor, but counts from the National Movement for Free Election (NAMFREL), an accredited civilian poll watcher, consistently showed Aquino in the lead.
Due to these reports of fraud, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement condemning the elections, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution stating the same, and almost every nation refused to acknowledge the mandate of Marcos.
See Philippine elections of 1986.
The revolution started late in February 1986 with the defection of two military leaders of Marcos. This prompted a four-day peaceful support of millions of people determined to protect the two leaders from assault by Marcos-loyal forces. Most of the rest of the military eventually defected, Aquino was inaugurated as President, and Marcos fled the Philippines.
The events of the revolution started when two key leaders of Marcos' military, through which the dictator exercised his power, withdrew their support for Marcos. On 6:45 p.m., February 22, 1986, Saturday, The Minister of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos announce at a press conference their withdrawal of support and accusing Marcos of cheating in the recent elections. They declare that Aquino is the rightful president. Subsequently, they barricaded themselves in two military camps: Ramos at Camp Crame and Enrile at the Ministry of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo. Both camps faced each other across EDSA in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Supported by only a few hundred fellow soldiers, Enrile and Ramos prepared for the inevitable attack by Marcos-loyal troops led by General Fabian Ver, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff.
A few hours later, Radio Veritas, the only non–government-controlled radio station replayed the press conference nationwide. Marcos himself later conducts his own news conference calling on Enrile and Ramos to surrender, urging them to “stop this stupidity.”
Within one hour, in a message aired over Radio Veritas, the highly influential Catholic Archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin exhorted the Filipinos to come to the aid of the rebelling leaders by going to EDSA between Camp Crame and Aguinaldo and giving emotional support, food and other supplies. For many, this seemed an unwise decision since civilians would not stand a chance against a dispersal by government troops. Nevertheless, many people, especially the priests and nuns, trooped to EDSA.
At dawn, Sunday, government troops knock down the main transmitter of Radio Veritas, cutting off broadcast to people in the provinces. The station switched to a standby transmitter with a limited range of broadcast. The station was targeted because it has proven to be a valuable communications tool for the people supporting the rebels, by informing them of movements of government troops and relaying many requests for food, medicine, and supplies.
Still, people came to EDSA until it swelled to hundreds of thousands of people. These people were armed only with prayers, rosaries, and statues of Mary. The mood in the street was actually very festive, with many bringing whole families. Performers entertained the crowds, nuns and priests led prayer vigils, and people set up barricades—makeshift sandbags, trees, and vehicles—in several places along EDSA and intersecting streets like Santolan and Ortigas Avenue. Everywhere, people listened to Radio Veritas on their radios. Several groups sang Bayan Ko (My Land), which, since 1980, had become a patriotic anthem of the opposition. People frequently flashed the LABAN (fight) sign, which is an L formed with their thumb and index finger.
Shortly after lunch of February 23, Enrile and Ramos decided to consolidate their positions. Enrile crossed EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo to Camp Crame amidst cheers from the crowd.
In the mid-afternoon, Radio Veritas relays reports of the Marines massing near the camps in the east and tanks approaching in from the north and south. A contingent of Marines with tanks and armored vans, led by Brigadier General Artemio Tadiar, were stopped along Ortigas Avenue, about two kilometers from the camps, by tens of thousands of people. Nuns holding rosaries kneeled in front of the tanks and men and women linked arms together to block the troops. Tadiar threathened the crowds but they did not budge. In the end, the troops were forced to retreat, surprisingly with no shot fired.
By evening, the standby transmitter of Radio Veritas fails. Shortly after midnight, the staff were able to go to another station and began broadcasting from a secret location. June Keithley was the radio broadcaster that continued Radio Veritas' program all throughout the night and the remaining days.
On the dawn of February 24, Monday, the first serious encounter with government troops occurred. Marines marching from Libis, in the east, lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators who quickly dispersed. Some 3,000 Marines then entered and held the east side of Camp Aguinaldo.
Later, helicopters, manned by the 15th Air Force Strike Wings, led by Colonel Antonio Sotelo, were ordered to head to Camp Crame to neutralize it. Secretly, the squadron had already defected and instead of attacking Camp Crame, landed in it, with the crowds cheering and hugging the soldiers who came out. The presence of the helicopters boosted the morale of Enrile and Ramos who had been continually encouraging their fellow soldiers to join the opposition.
At around that time, June Keithley received reports that Marcos had left Malacaņang Palace and broadcasted it to the people at EDSA. The crowd celebrates and even Ramos and Enrile went out from Crame to appear to the crowds. The jubilation was however short-lived as Marcos later appeared on television on the government-controlled Channel 4, declaring that he will not step down.
During this broadcast, Channel 4 suddenly goes off the air. A contingent of reformist soldiers (the rebels), under Colonel Mariano Santiago was able to capture the Channel 4 station. Channel 4 goes back online, shortly after noon, with a voice declaring “This is Channel 4 serving the people again.” By this time, the crowds at EDSA have swelled to over a million. (Some estimates place them at two million.)
In the late afternoon, rebel helicopters attacked Villamor Air Base destroying presidential vehicles. Another helicopter went to Malacaņang, fired a rocket and caused minor damage. Later, most of the officers who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) have defected; majority of the Armed Forces had already changed sides.
On the morning of February 25, Tuesday, at around 7 a.m., a minor clash occurred between loyal government troops and the reformists. Snipers stationed atop the government-owned Channel 9 tower near Channel 4 began shooting at the reformists. Many rebel soldiers surge to the station.
Later in the morning, Cory Aquino was inaugurated as the President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino in Greenhills about a kilometer from Camp Crame. She was sworn in as President by Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee and Laurel as Vice-President by Justice Vicente Abad Santos. The bible on which Aquino swore was held by Aurora Aquino, the mother of Ninoy Aquino. Attending the ceremonies were Ramos, who was then promoted to General, Enrile, and many politicians. Outside Club Filipino all the way to EDSA, about two million people cheer and celebrate. Bayan Ko was sung after the Aquino's oath-taking. Many people wore yellow, the color of Aquino's campaign for presidency.
An hour later, Marcos conducts his own inauguration at Malacaņang. Hundreds of loyalist civilians attend the ceremony. On the Palace balcony, Marcos took his oath as President of the Philippines and broadcasted by the remaining government television channels. None of the invited foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony. The broadcast of the event was also cut off as rebel troops successfully capture the other stations.
By this time, tens of thousands of people massed at the barricades along Mendiola, only a hundred meters away from Malacaņang. They were prevented from storming the Palace by loyal government troops securing the area. The angry demonstrators were pacified by priests who warned them not to be violent.
Marcos later talked to U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt asking for advice from the White House. Laxalt advises him to step down. In the afternoon, Marcos talks to Enrile asking for safe passage for him and his family. Finally, at 9:00 p.m., the Marcoses were transported by four American helicopters to Clark Air Base in Pampanga, before heading on to Guam, and finally to Hawaii.
When the news of Marcos' departure reached the people, many rejoiced and danced. Over at Mendiola, the demonstrators were finally able to enter Malacaņang, long denied to the Filipinos in the past decade. Some looting by overly angry protesters occurred, but mostly people wandered inside looking at the place where all the decisions which made many Filipinos suffer were made.
All over the world, people rejoiced and congratulated Filipinos they know. Almost overnight, the Philippines became a source of inspiration and admiration. Bob Simon, an anchorman at CBS declared: “We Americans like to think we taught the Filipinos democracy—well, tonight they are teaching the world.”
Some people have a problem with labelling this event a revolution since for most people, a revolution is a violent overthrow of a reigning government. [Ed: needs more discussion.]
Many people have debated long on how millions of people were able to topple a two-decade long dictatorship with very little blood being shed. The popular attribution is to the power of prayer, to God, and to Mary. Some others attribute it to the Filipino character, while the Left claims that their unwavering presence in the rallies, especially at Mendiola, was the driving force behind the revolution. Some Americans claim that it was because of negotiations between Marcos and the U.S. Government.
The event was actually quite an unprecedented event in history. It was probably the first time millions of civilians came to the aid of the military, which had long been an instrument of repression and terror.
[Ed: a discussion on EDSA Dos and EDSA Tres]]Historical Background
The Revolution
The defection
Rising mass support
More defections and the capture of Channel 4
The inaugurations
Marcos Flees
Is it a revolution?
Why the Revolution was successful
A precedent to future mass demonstrations