“Ito ang ultimate #EDSA38 clout for me.”
This was what a Filipino said in response to a picture with actor Elijah Canlas who attended the commemoration activities of the 38th anniversary of the People Power Revolution last Sunday.
Karl Suyat on Monday shared a photo of him holding an archival copy of The Manila Times’ newspaper dated Feb. 26, 1986, with the iconic headline, “Marcos flees.”
He was beside the actor, who was also holding a small publication material containing information and pictures about the historic EDSA Revolution.
“Ang daming landing today, especially with the ‘Marcos flees’ newspaper… pero ito ang ultimate #EDSA38 clout for me,” Karl wrote on the X (formerly Twitter) platform on February 26.
“Maraming salamat sa pagtitiwala at sa iyong suporta, Edjop aka
@elijahcanlas_! #DefendHistoricaTruth,” he added.
Ang daming landing today, especially with the Marcos flees newspaper… pero ito ang ultimate #EDSA38 clout for me
Maraming salamat sa pagtitiwala at sa iyong suporta, Edjop aka @elijahcanlas_!#DefendHistoricaTruth pic.twitter.com/bmslzCcehw
— karl 🇵🇸 #MarcosMamamatayTao (@eicvsfascism) February 25, 2024
Karl caught attention when he brought a copy of a 1986 newspaper published on the day after the bloodless revolution at the 38th anniversary of its commemoration on February 25.
He was also seen posing with rights lawyer Chel Diokno, whose father was among those arrested during the dictatorship.
Spotted: Project Gunita co-founder @eicvsfascism with Atty. Chel Diokno holding up a newspaper from February 1986 with the headline MARCOS FLEES #DefendHistoricalTruth #EDSA38 #BuhayAngEDSA#EDSAKahitSaan https://t.co/na9K6p8fic
— Project Gunita (@ProjectGunitaPH) February 25, 2024
The Feb. 26, 1986 edition of The Manila Times also featured other headlines, such as “Family, Ver, off with him,” “Cory installed,” “Inaugural showed old elite’s faces,” “Revolt’s last day: 13 dead,” among others.
Meanwhile, Elijah was among the celebrities who performed at the “EDSA Kahit Saan” concert on Sunday which aimed to commemorate the revolution’s anniversary at the EDSA Shrine.
Apart from performing, the “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” actor also shared his thoughts on the significance of the EDSA Revolution in his speech, which has since gone viral on the X platform.
He said that it was very important for him to attend such gatherings because it is part of his identity as a Filipino.
I stan @elijahcanlas_ ❤️🇵🇭🔥 #Edsa38 #EdsaLives pic.twitter.com/iB9L8KAyuh
— katski (@katskiflores) February 25, 2024
Elijah was also joined by fellow “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” star, veteran actor Jaime Fabregas, on the stage.
Jaime stressed the importance of remembering history and the past.
“Taon-taon nandyan naman talaga ang puso ko. If we do not learn from our history, we do not learn from the past, we will never get anywhere. Puntahan natin kung ano ‘yung katotohanan. Alamin natin kung ano ‘yung katotohanan,” he said.
Other artists who attended the concert were The Company, Bayang Barrios, Bituin Escalante, including Elmo and Arkin Magalona, with the last two performing Francis M’s songs.
Even though the EDSA Revolution is no longer recognized as a public holiday in the government’s 2024 list, various groups marked the occasion by organizing protests against the administration’s efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution.
ALSO READ: EDSA where?: Pinoys notice absence of People Power anniv in list of 2024 public holidays
The 1987 Constitution was developed as “a fresh start from the vestiges of a disgraced dictatorship, as suggested by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J. and others,” according to the Official Gazette.
Its creation followed after the EDSA Revolution, a four-day occasion involving a series of public protests and demonstrations against the Marcos regime that culminated in a historic march along the main artery of Metro Manila.
During the regime, the country was placed under a nine-year Martial Law to supposedly quell communist insurgency, but critics said the dictator used it to extend his term.
The period saw the curtailment of civil rights and liberties, prevalence of extrajudicial killings and unsolved disappearances, media suppression and economic recession, among others.
Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s regime ended after millions of Filipinos took to the streets to protest his totalitarian rule, resulting in the People Power Revolution on EDSA.
The demonstration included members of the Catholic Church quietly facing off against the government’s armored tanks with linked arms, prayers and flowers.
On the last day of the revolution, late president Cory Aquino was sworn in as the country’s 11th and first woman president.
