The EDSA People Power Revolution recently celebrated its 27th year last February 25. It has entered its rockstar age. But beyond the rockstar mythos, EDSA is tightrope-walking on a precarious thread. As the years roll by, those who participated in this glorious, nonviolent revolt are also moving in the timeline of humanity. What is left for the younger generation? Most of them take it as a day to take a breather from school. Ask them about this golden piece of our history and you’ll get historical bits and pieces sourced from textbooks whose veracity can be questioned. Historicity is a city that was bombarded then left for obscurity. The question hangs among us, if the spirit is still alive. We see it on our TV sets. The radio rattles with the events taking place. The papers are filled with news about it. But where is the essence?
To counter this, the EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) is planning to build a memory museum that will bridge the younger generation and urge them to leave the land of amnesia behind. Imagine stepping inside this structure. It will not be pretty; the contents will not be that pleasing. For this is a dark part of our history. Acceptance will naturally come after coming into terms with the horrific acts committed upon fellow Filipinos who suffered under the dictatorship. Voices will also fill the corridors of this museum. These voices, resonant of anguish and torture, will make up the archives for visitors who want an oral retelling of those dark days. Objects used during the 1986 revolution will also be displayed. Consider these objects—rosaries, statues of the Virgin Mary, flowers, etc.—as relics already for they have been held by those who believed, whose faith imbued them to become weapons against tools made to kill. Miracles will be on display.
As President Benigno Aquino III signed the Human Reparations Act of 2013 in front of a huge crowd, we surge forward in remembering our past sufferings and not forgetting the perpetrators. The President drove the message home as he said that it is up to the Filipino people to ensure that the next generation will be enlightened and educated with EDSA’s history to avoid the repetition of treachery that the revolution ended. Our memories are not going anywhere.
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