{{hatnote|"EDSA Revolution" redirects here. For other uses, see [[EDSA Revolution (disambiguation)]]. For other uses of "People Power", see [[People Power (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
|title=People Power Revolution
|partof=
|image= EDSA Revolution pic1.jpg
|caption=
|date= February 22–25, 1986
|place=Philippines, primarily [[EDSA (road)|Epifanio de los Santos Avenue]], [[Metro Manila]]
|causes=
*Killing of [[Benigno Aquino Jr.]] in 1983
*Fraud during the [[Philippine presidential election, 1986|1986 Presidential snap elections]]
*Decades of [[Martial law in the Philippines|oppressive and totalitarian rule]]
|goals=Removal of [[Ferdinand Marcos]] and installation of [[Corazon Aquino]] as President
|status=
|result= Revolutionary victory
*Removal of [[Ferdinand Marcos]] from office <br> End of [[History of the Philippines (1965–86)|Marcos era (1965–86)]]
*Marcos exiled to Hawaii
*Start of the [[Fifth Philippine Republic]]
*[[Corazon Aquino]] becomes President of the Philippines
|side1='''People Power revolutionaries'''<br/>Political groups:<br/>
*[[United Nationalist Democratic Organization|UNIDO]]
*[[Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan|PDP-Laban]]
*[[Liberal Party (Philippines)|Liberal Party]]
Military defectors:
*[[Reform the Armed Forces Movement]]
*[[Philippine Constabulary|Defected soldiers]]
Others:
*Anti-Marcos civilian protesters
Religious groups:
*[[Archdiocese of Manila]]
*[[Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines|CBCP]]<ref name=convergence>{{cite news|last1=Sison|first1=Jose Maria|title='It was a convergence of various forces'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2479&dat=20060224&id=FFg1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=jiUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1930,4044246|accessdate=August 4, 2014|work=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=February 24, 2006}}</ref>
*[[Protestantism in the Philippines|Protestant churches of the Philippines]]
Militant groups:
*[[Bagong Alyansang Makabayan]]<ref name=convergence /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Araullo|first1=Carolina|title=Left was at Edsa and long before|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4FU1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=aiUMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1015%2C30844986|accessdate=August 4, 2014|work=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=March 2, 2000}}</ref>
**[[Kilusang Mayo Uno]]
**League of Filipino Students
**Christians for National Liberation
|side2=[[History of the Philippines (1965–1986)|'''Marcos government''']]<br>
* [[Armed Forces of the Philippines]]
**Forces loyal to Marcos
* [[Presidential Security Group]]<ref name=lastdays>{{cite news|last1=Suarez|first1=Miguel|title=Marcos' last days filled with errors and humiliation|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=csNaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=blkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7096%2C2434617|accessdate=August 4, 2014|work=The Evening Independent|agency=Associated Press|date=February 26, 1986|quote=She (Imelda) did not tell the crowd by that time all but a few thousand soldiers and officers, mostly those in the presidential guard, had by then turn against Marcos to join Mrs. Aquino's "people power" revolution}}</ref>
Government parties:
*[[Kilusang Bagong Lipunan]]
|leadfigures1=[[Corazon Aquino]]<br/>[[Salvador Laurel]]<br/>[[Juan Ponce Enrile]]<br/>[[Fidel V. Ramos]]<br/>[[Gregorio Honasan|Gringo Honasan]] <br/>[[Jaime Sin|Jaime Cardinal Sin]]
|leadfigures2=[[Ferdinand Marcos]]<br/>[[Imelda Marcos]]<br/>[[Fabian Ver]]
|howmany1=2,000,000+ protestors
|howmany2= No figures available
|casualties1=
|casualties2=
|fatalities=
|arrests=
|detentions=
|fined=
|casualties_label=
|notes=
}}
{{History of the Philippines}}
{{RegchangePH}}
The '''People Power Revolution''' (also known as the '''EDSA Revolution''' and the '''Philippine Revolution of 1986''' or simply '''EDSA 1986''') was a series of popular [[Demonstration (people)|demonstration]]s in the [[Philippines]], mostly in the capital city of [[Manila]] from February 22–25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of [[civil resistance]] against regime violence and alleged electoral fraud. The [[nonviolent revolution]] led to the departure of dictator [[Ferdinand Marcos]], the end of his 21-year presidential rule, and the restoration of [[democracy]] in the Philippines.<ref name="QUARTET p. 77">{{cite web| url = http://www.stuartxchange.org/DayFour.html| title = The Original People Power Revolution| accessdate = February 28, 2008| publisher = QUARTET p. 77| deadurl = no| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080215175737/http://www.stuartxchange.org/DayFour.html| archivedate = February 15, 2008| df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Yellow ribbons turn up on EDSA">{{cite web| url = http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=109889| title = Yellow ribbons turn up on EDSA| accessdate = February 28, 2008| publisher = [[ABS-CBN]]}}{{dead link|date=October 2008}}</ref>
It is also referred to as the '''Yellow Revolution''' due to the presence of yellow ribbons during demonstrations following the [[Assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr.|assassination of Filipino senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.]]<ref name="QUARTET p. 77"/><ref name="Yellow ribbons turn up on EDSA"/> in August 1983. It was widely seen as a victory of the people against two decades of presidential rule by President Marcos, and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world".<ref name="Gandhi">{{Citation |last=Kumar |first=Ravindra |last2= |first2= |publication-date=|title=Mahatma Gandhi at the Close of Twentieth Century|publication-place= |publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. |isbn=978-81-261-1736-9 |page=168 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=lTNpstqGlAMC&pg=PA168&dq=EDSA+Revolution |accessdate= December 2, 2007 |year=2004}}.</ref>
The majority of the demonstrations took place on a long stretch of [[EDSA (road)|Epifanio de los Santos Avenue]], more commonly known by its acronym ''EDSA'', in [[Metro Manila]] from February 22–25, 1986. They involved over two million Filipino civilians, as well as several political and military groups, and religious groups led by [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Jaime Sin]], the [[Archbishop of Manila]], along with [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines]] President Cardinal [[Ricardo Vidal]], the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu|Archbishop of Cebu]]. The protests, fueled by the resistance and opposition from years of governance by President Marcos and his cronies, culminated with the absolute rule and his family fleeing [[Malacañang Palace]] to exile in [[Hawaii]]. Ninoy Aquino's widow, [[Corazon Aquino]], was immediately installed as the [[List of Presidents of the Philippines|eleventh]] President as a result of the revolution.<ref>
{{cite web| url = http://www.stuartxchange.com/EdsaIntro.html| title = Edsa people Power 1 Philippines| accessdate = December 3, 2007| publisher = Angela Stuart-Santiago| deadurl = no| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071213180847/http://www.stuartxchange.com/EdsaIntro.html| archivedate = December 13, 2007| df = mdy-all}}</ref>
==Background and history==
{{Main|Ferdinand Marcos}}
[[Image:Ferdinand Marcos.JPEG|thumb|[[Ferdinand Marcos]] became the longest-serving [[Philippines|Philippine]] president for 20 years.]]
President Ferdinand E. Marcos was [[Philippine presidential election, 1965|elected president in 1965]], defeating incumbent [[Diosdado Macapagal|President Diosdado Macapagal]] by a margin of 52 to 43 percent. During this time, Marcos was very active in the initiation of public works projects and the intensification of tax collections. Marcos and his government claimed that they "built more roads than all his predecessors combined, and more schools than any previous administration".<ref>{{Harvnb|Lacsamana|1990|p=187}}</ref> Amidst charges from the opposition party of vote buying and a fraudulent election, President Marcos was reelected in the [[Philippine presidential election, 1969]], this time defeating [[Sergio Osmeña Jr.|Sergio Osmeña, Jr.]] by 61 to 39 percent.
President Marcos' second term for the presidency was marred by allegations by the opposition [[Liberal Party (Philippines)|Liberal Party]] of widespread graft and corruption. According to [[leftists]] who rioted during the [[First Quarter Storm]], the increasing disparity of wealth between the very wealthy and the very poor that made up the majority of the Philippines' population led to a rise in crime and civil unrest around the country. These factors, including the formation of the [[New People's Army]] and a bloody Muslim separatist movement in the southern island of Mindanao led by the [[Moro National Liberation Front]], contributed to the rapid rise of civil discontent and unrest in the country.{{citation needed|date = February 2014}}
A [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|constitutional convention]], which had been called for in 1970 to replace the Commonwealth era [[1935 Constitution of the Philippines|1935 Constitution]], continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of martial law. The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of government from presidential to [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] and allowing President Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973. The constitution was approved by 95% of the voters in the [[Philippine constitutional plebiscite, 1973|Philippine constitutional plebiscite]].
President Marcos was barred from running for a third term as president in 1973. On September 23, 1972, by virtue of a presidential proclamation (No. 1081), he declared [[martial law]], citing rising civil disobedience as a justification. Through this decree and after obtaining voters consent through the plebiscite, President Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the Philippines' military and the authority to suppress and abolish the [[freedom of speech]], the [[freedom of the press]], and many other [[civil liberties]]. President Marcos also dissolved the [[Philippine Congress]] and shut down media establishments critical of the Marcos Administration.<ref name="Celoza"/>
President Marcos also ordered the immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics. Among those arrested were Senate President [[Jovito Salonga]], Senator [[Jose Diokno]], and Senator [[Benigno Aquino Jr.]], who Marcos linked with the [[Communists]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Ninoy linked up with the Left to aid presidential ambition|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/198820/news/specialreports/ninoy-networked-with-everyone-reds-included|newspaper=GMA News|date=August 18, 2010|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207014355/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/198820/news/specialreports/ninoy-networked-with-everyone-reds-included|archivedate=February 7, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the man who was groomed by the opposition to succeed President Marcos after the 1973 elections.<ref name="Celoza"/> On November 25, 1977, the Military Commission charged Aquino along with his two co-accused, [[New People's Army|NPA]] leaders [[Bernabe Buscayno]] (Commander Dante) and Lt. Victor Corpuz, guilty of all charges and sentenced them to death by firing squad.<ref>{{cite news|title=Max Soliven recalls Ninoy Aquino: Unbroken|url=http://asianjournalusa.com/max-soliven-recalls-ninoy-aquino-unbroken-p5828-87.htm|accessdate=August 30, 2013|newspaper=Philippines Star|date=October 10, 2008|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016015855/http://asianjournalusa.com/max-soliven-recalls-ninoy-aquino-unbroken-p5828-87.htm|archivedate=October 16, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
In 1978, while still in prison, Aquino founded his [[political party]], ''[[Lakas ng Bayan]]'' (abbreviated "LABAN"; English: ''People's Power'') to run for office in the [[Interim Batasang Pambansa]] (Parliament). All LABAN candidates lost, including Ninoy himself.
With practically all of his political opponents were arrested and in exile, President Marcos' pre-emptive declaration of martial law in 1972 and the [[Philippine constitutional plebiscite, 1973|ratification]] of his new constitution by more than 95% of voters enabled Marcos to effectively legitimize his government and hold on to power for another 14 years beyond his first two terms as president. In a [[Cold War]] context, Marcos retained the support of the United States through Marcos' promise to stamp out communism in the Philippines and by assuring the United States of its continued use of military and naval bases in the Philippines.<ref name="Celoza">{{Citation|title=Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines: the political economy of authoritarianism |first=Albert |last=Celoza |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1997}}</ref>
===Assassination of Ninoy Aquino===
{{main|Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr.}}
Despite warnings from the military and other First Lady Imelda R. Marcos, Ninoy Aquino was determined to return to the Philippines. Asked what he thought of the death threats, Ninoy Aquino responded, "The Filipino is worth dying for."<ref>{{cite web|title=Aquino, Corazon Cojuangco • The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation • Honoring greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in Asia|url=http://rmaward.asia/awardees/aquino-corazon-cojuangco/|website=rmaward.asia|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804175243/http://rmaward.asia/awardees/aquino-corazon-cojuangco/|archivedate=August 4, 2017|df=mdy-all|access-date=January 11, 2019}}</ref>
At that time, Ninoy's passport had expired and the renewal had been denied. Ninoy therefore acquired a plan to acquire a fake passport with the help of [[Rashid Lucman]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Philippine Star|title=A look back at Ninoy Aquino's murder|date=August 20, 2014|url=http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2014/08/20/1359731/look-back-ninoy-aquinos-murder|accessdate=March 30, 2016|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828054443/http://www.philstar.com/news-feature/2014/08/20/1359731/look-back-ninoy-aquinos-murder|archivedate=August 28, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="Philippine Star">{{cite journal|last=Philippine Star|title=Will Noynoy Aquino be the hero of Muslims in Mindanao?|url=http://www.philstar.com/letters-editor/604043/will-noynoy-aquino-be-hero-muslims-mindanao|date=August 20, 2010|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010224659/http://www.philstar.com/letters-editor/604043/will-noynoy-aquino-be-hero-muslims-mindanao|archivedate=October 10, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The passport carried the alias ''Marcial Bonifacio'' (Marcial for martial law and Bonifacio for Fort Bonifacio, his erstwhile prison).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inq7.net/nat/2003/aug/21/nat_4-1.htm |title=Services – INQUIRER.net |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516180338/http://www.inq7.net/nat/2003/aug/21/nat_4-1.htm |archivedate=May 16, 2006 |deadurl=yes |df=mdy }}</ref>
On August 21, 1983, after a three-year exile in the [[United States]], Aquino was [[assassination|assassinated]] as he disembarked from a [[Taiwan]]ese commercial flight at the [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila International Airport]] (which was later renamed in Aquino's honor).<ref>{{Citation |editor-last1=Javate-De Dios |editor-first1=Aurora |editor-first2=Petronilo |editor-last2=Bn Daroy |editor-first3=Lorna |editor-last3=Kalaw-Tirol |title=Dictatorship and Revolution: Roots of People's Power |publisher=Conspectus Foundation Incorporated |date=1988 |oclc=19609244 |page=132 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=Nz1yAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dictatorship+and+Revolution%3A+Roots+of+People%27s+Power |asin=B0000EEE8J |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017232007/https://books.google.com/books?ei=_6RFU_T8JYrIyAHwhIDgBA&id=Nz1yAAAAMAAJ&dq=Dictatorship+and+Revolution%3A+Roots+of+People%27s+Power |archivedate=October 17, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}.</ref> His assassination shocked and outraged many Filipinos, most of whom had lost confidence in the Marcos administration. The event led to more suspicions about the government, triggering non-cooperation among Filipinos that eventually led to outright [[civil disobedience]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Schock |first=Kurt |authorlink= |editor= |others= |title=Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies |origyear= |url= |format= |accessdate= |edition= |series= |date= |year=2005 |month= |publisher= University of Minnesota Press|location= |language= |isbn=978-0-8166-4192-5 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=56 |chapter=People Power Unleashed: South Africa and the Philippines |chapterurl= |quote= }}</ref> It also shook the Marcos Administration, which was by then deteriorating due, in part, to Marcos' worsening health and ultimately fatal illness ([[lupus erythematosus]]).{{citation needed|date = February 2014}}
The assassination of Ninoy Aquino caused the Philippines economy to deteriorate even further, and the government plunged further into debt. By the end of 1983, the Philippines was in an economic recession, with the economy contracting by 6.8%.<ref>
{{cite web| url = https://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/fw9.html| title = Lakas Ng Bayan: The People's Power/EDSA Revolution 1986| accessdate = December 10, 2007| publisher = [[University of Alberta]], [[Canada]]| deadurl = no| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070808142736/http://www.ualberta.ca/~vmitchel/fw9.html| archivedate = August 8, 2007| df = mdy-all}}</ref>
In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, led by Chief Justice [[Enrique Fernando]], to launch an investigation into Aquino's assassination. Despite the commission's conclusions, Cardinal [[Jaime Sin]], the Archbishop of Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and rejected the government's views on the assassination.
===Calls for election===
{{main|Philippine presidential election, 1986}}
On November 3, 1985, after pressure from the US government,<ref>
{{cite news| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1079/is_v86/ai_4188363| title = Election developments in the Philippines – President Reagan's statement – transcript| accessdate = December 3, 2007| publisher = US Department of State Bulletin, April 1986| year=1986}}</ref> Marcos suddenly announced that a snap presidential election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule, to legitimize his control over the country.<ref name="NSM">{{Citation |last=Zunes |first=Stephen |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1999|title=Nonviolent Social Movements: A Geographical Perspective |publication-place= |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |isbn=978-1-57718-076-0 |page=129 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=rlIH-NQbFQgC&pg=PA129&dq=Philippine+People+power+revolution |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=1999 |display-authors=1 |author2=<Please add first missing authors to populate metadata.>}}</ref> The snap election was legalized with the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg. 883 (National Law No. 883) by the Marcos-controlled unicameral congress called the [[Regular Batasang Pambansa]].<ref name="Steinberg 2000 144">{{Citation |first=David Joel |last=Steinberg |publisher=Basic Books |year=2000 |page=144 |title=The Philippines: Colonialism, collaboration, and resistance}}</ref>
The growing opposition movement encouraged Ninoy Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, to run for the presidency. United Opposition (UNIDO) leader, [[Salvador Laurel]], who earlier filed his candidacy as an official UNIDO candidate for the presidency, gave way to Cory after a political deal which was later reneged by Cory after the election. [[Salvador Laurel]] eventually ran as Cory Aquino's running mate for vice-president under the United Opposition (UNIDO) party. Marcos ran for re-election, with [[Arturo Tolentino]] as his running mate under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party.<ref name="Steinberg 2000 144"/>
===1986 election===
{{main|Philippine presidential election, 1986}}
The elections were held on February 7, 1986.<ref name="NSM"/> The official election canvasser, the [[Commission on Elections]] (COMELEC), declared Marcos the winner. The final tally of the COMELEC had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes against Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. On the other hand, based on returns of 70% of the precincts<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/?id=-1TMCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA384&lpg=PA384&dq=namfrel+7,835,070+aquino#v=onepage&q=namfrel%207%2C835%2C070%20aquino&f=false | title=A Force More Powerful: A Century of Non-Violent Conflict| isbn=9780312240509| last1=Ackerman| first1=Peter| last2=Duvall| first2=Jack| date=2001-10-05}}</ref> of the [[National Movement for Free Elections]] (NAMFREL), an accredited poll watcher, had Aquino winning with 7,835,070 votes against Marcos' 7,053,068 votes.<ref>{{Citation|title=A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict|author1=Peter Ackerman|author2=Jack DuVall|publisher=Macmillan|year=2001|isbn=978-0-312-24050-9|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OVtKS9DCN0kC&pg=PA384 384]|url=https://books.google.com/?id=OVtKS9DCN0kC|authorlink1=Peter Ackerman|authorlink2=Jack DuVall}};<br />^ {{Citation|author=Isabelo T. Crisostomo|title=Cory—profile of a president|publisher=Branden Books|year=1987|isbn=978-0-8283-1913-3|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=iW_ddLowBYkC&pg=PA193 193]|url=https://books.google.com/?id=iW_ddLowBYkC}} (showing a reproduction of NAMFREL's announcement of the results).</ref>
This electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results, culminating in the walkout of 35 COMELEC computer technicians to protest the deliberate manipulation of the official election results to favor Ferdinand Marcos. The walkout was considered as one of the early "sparks" of the People Power Revolution. The walkout also served as an affirmation to allegations of vote-buying, fraud, and tampering of election results by the KBL.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pcij.org/i-report/edsa20/william-torres.html| title = iReport EDSA 20th Anniversary Special Issue | Dr. William Castro| accessdate = January 16, 2008| publisher = Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, February 2006| deadurl = no| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080120161749/http://pcij.org/i-report/edsa20/william-torres.html| archivedate = January 20, 2008| df = mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/22582-1986-comelec-walkout-not-about-cory-or-marcos | title = 1986 Comelec walkout not about Cory or Marcos | accessdate = January 12, 2016 | publisher = Rappler | first = Reynaldo | last = Santos, Jr. | date = February 26, 2013 | deadurl = no | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160228042402/http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections-2013/22582-1986-comelec-walkout-not-about-cory-or-marcos | archivedate = February 28, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
Because of reports of alleged fraud, the [[Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines]] (CBCP) through Cardinal [[Ricardo Vidal]] issued a statement condemning the elections. The United States Senate also passed a resolution stating the same condemnation.<ref name="NSM"/> [[US president]] [[Ronald Reagan]] issued a statement calling the fraud reports as "disturbing" but he said that there was fraud "on both sides" of the Philippine election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/02/26/in-crucial-call-laxalt-told-marcos-cut-cleanly/9329b85d-f7b0-4021-884d-5e5e659a4cb0/|title=In Crucial Call, Laxalt Told Marcos: 'Cut Cleanly'|last1=Hoffman|first1=David|last2=Cannon|first2=Lou|last3=Coleman|first3=Milton|last4=Dewar|first4=Helen|last5=Goshko|first5=John M.|last6=Oberdorfer|first6=Don|last7=W|first7=George C.|work=The Washington Post|date=February 26, 1986|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822084009/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/02/26/in-crucial-call-laxalt-told-marcos-cut-cleanly/9329b85d-f7b0-4021-884d-5e5e659a4cb0/|archivedate=August 22, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1079/is_v86/ai_4188363| title = PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT, FEB. 11, 1986| accessdate = December 3, 2007| publisher = US Department of State Bulletin, April 1986| year=1986}}</ref> In response to the protests, COMELEC claimed that Marcos with 53 percent won over Aquino. However, NAMFREL countered that the latter won over Marcos with 52 percent of votes.<ref>{{Citation |last=Schock |first=Kurt |last2= |first2= |publication-date=|title=Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies |publication-place= |publisher= U of Minnesota Press|isbn= 978-0-8166-4193-2|page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=RRVk5qJpOH8C&pg=PA77&dq=Cory+Aquino+1986+inauguration |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=2005}}.</ref>
On February 15, Marcos was proclaimed by COMELEC and Batasang Pambansa as the winner amidst the controversy. All 50 opposition members of the Parliament walked out in protest. The Filipino people repudiated the results, asserting that Aquino was the real victor. Both "winners" took their oath of office in two different places, with Aquino gaining greater mass support. Aquino also called for coordinated strikes and mass boycott of the media and businesses owned by Marcos' cronies. As a result, the crony banks, corporations, and media were hit hard, and their shares in the stock market plummeted to record levels.{{citation needed|date = February 2014}}
===Vidal's declaration===
Cardinal Vidal, after the result of the snap election, issued a declaration in lieu of the Philippine Church hierarchy stating that when "a government does not of itself freely correct the evil it has inflicted on the people then it is our serious moral obligation as a people to make it do so." The declaration also asked "every loyal member of the Church, every community of the faithful, to form their judgment about the February 7 polls" and told all the Filipinos, "Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to repair the wrong. The wrong was systematically organized. So must its correction be. But as in the election itself, that depends fully on the people; on what they are willing and ready to do."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbcponline.net/documents/1980s/1986-post_election.html|title=POST-ELECTION STATEMENT|publisher=|accessdate=March 15, 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923201056/http://www.cbcponline.net/documents/1980s/1986-post_election.html|archivedate=September 23, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
==Events==
{{Revolution sidebar}}
===Aborted military coup===
Appalled by the bold and apparent election irregularities, the [[Reform the Armed Forces Movement]] set into motion a coup attempt against Marcos. The initial plan was for a team to assault Malacañan Palace and arrest Ferdinand Marcos. Other military units would take over key strategic facilities, such as the [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|airport]], military bases, the GHQAFP in [[Camp Aguinaldo]], and major highway junctions to restrict counteroffensive by Marcos-loyal troops.
However, after Marcos learned about the plot, he ordered their leaders' arrest,<ref>{{Citation |last=West |first=Lois A. |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1997
|title=Militant Labor in the Philippines |publication-place= |publisher=Temple University Press |isbn=978-1-56639-491-8 |pages=19–20 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=KcaOhzm8gAQC&pg=PA20&dq=Philippine+People+power+revolution |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=1997}}.</ref> and presented to the international and local press some of the captured plotters, Maj. Saulito Aromin and Maj. Edgardo Doromal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuartxchange.org/DayOne.html|title=Day One (EDSA: The Original People Power Revolution by Angela Stuart-Santiago)|publisher=|accessdate=March 15, 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807094913/http://www.stuartxchange.org/DayOne.html|archivedate=August 7, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
Threatened with their impending imprisonment, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and his fellow coup plotters decided to ask for help from then AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen [[Fidel Ramos]], who was also the chief of the [[Philippine Constabulary]] (now the Philippine National Police). Ramos agreed to resign from his position and support the plotters. Enrile also contacted the highly influential Cardinal Archbishop of Manila [[Jaime Sin]] for his support.
At about 6:30 p.m. on February 22, Enrile and Ramos held a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, where they announced that they had resigned from their positions in Marcos' cabinet and were withdrawing support from his government. Marcos himself later conducted his own news conference calling on Enrile and Ramos to surrender, urging them to "stop this stupidity".<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness">{{Citation |last=Paul Sagmayao |first=Mercado |authorlink= |first2=Francisco S.|last2=Tatad |title=People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History |publisher=The James B. Reuter, S.J., Foundation |year=1986 |location=[[Manila]], [[Philippines]] |pages= |url= |oclc=16874890}}</ref>
===Sin's appeal===
After Cardinal Vidal's condemnation of the snap election's fraudulent result, a message was aired over [[Radio Veritas]] at around 9 p.m., Cardinal Sin exhorted Filipinos in the capital to aid rebel leaders by going to the section of EDSA between [[Camp Crame]] and [[Camp Aguinaldo|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. Many people, especially priests and nuns, still trooped to EDSA.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
Radio Veritas played a critical role during the mass uprising. Former [[University of the Philippines]] president Francisco Nemenzo stated that: "''Without Radio Veritas, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to mobilize millions of people in a matter of hours.''" Similarly, a certain account in the event said that: "''Radio Veritas, in fact, was our umbilical cord to whatever else was going on''."<ref name="McCargo">{{Citation |last=McCargo |first=Duncan |last2= |first2=|publication-date=2003|title=Media and Politics in Pacific Asia |publication-place= |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-23375-0 |page=20|url=https://books.google.com/?id=CuGJ575iLLAC&pg=PA20&dq=Radio+Veritas+1986+Philippine+revolution |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=2003}}</ref>
===Rising mass support===
[[File:EDSA Revolution pic1.jpg|thumb|300px|During the height of the revolution, an estimated three hundred to five hundred thousand people filled EDSA from Ortigas Avenue all the way to Cubao. The photo above shows the area at the intersection of EDSA and Boni Serrano Avenue, just between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.]]
At dawn, Sunday, government troops arrived to knock down the main transmitter of Radio Veritas, cutting off broadcasts to people in the provinces. The station switched to a standby transmitter with a limited range of broadcast.<ref name="McCargo"/> The station was targeted because it had proven to be a valuable communications tool for the people supporting the rebels, keeping them informed of government troop movements and relaying requests for food, medicine, and supplies.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
Still, people came to EDSA until it swelled to hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians. 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 and makeshift sandbags, trees, and vehicles in several places along EDSA and intersecting streets such as Santolan and Ortigas Avenue. Everywhere, people listened to Radio Veritas on their radios. Several groups sang ''[[Bayan Ko]]'' (My Homeland),<ref>{{Citation |last=Taylor |first=Robert H. |last2= |first2= |publication-date=2002
|title=The Idea of Freedom in Asia and Africa |publication-place= |publisher= Stanford University Press |isbn=978-0-8047-4514-7 |page=210 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=RfbSlkGP8TEC&pg=PA210&dq=Bayan+Ko+in+1986+Philippine+revolution |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=2002}}.</ref> which, since 1980, had become a patriotic anthem of the opposition. People frequently flashed the 'LABAN' sign,<ref>{{Citation |last=Crisostomo |first=Isabelo T. |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1987|title=Cory, Profile of a President: The Historic Rise to Power of Corazon |publication-place=|publisher=Branden Books |isbn=978-0-8283-1913-3 |page=217 |url=https://books.google.com/id=iW_ddLowBYkC&pg=PA217&dq=LABAN+signs+during+EDSA+I |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=1987}}.</ref> which is an "L" formed with their thumb and index finger. 'Laban' is the Tagalog word for 'fight', but also the abbreviation of [[Lakas ng Bayan]], Ninoy Aquino's party.
After lunch on February 23, Enrile and Ramos decided to consolidate their positions. Enrile crossed EDSA from [[Camp Aguinaldo]] to [[Camp Crame]] amidst cheers from the crowd.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
In the mid-afternoon, [[Radio Veritas]] relayed reports of [[Philippine Marine Corps|Marines]] massing near the camps in the east and [[LVT-5]] tanks approaching from the north and south. A contingent of Marines with tanks and armored vans, led by Brigadier General Artemio Tadiar, was stopped along Ortigas Avenue, about two kilometers from the camps, by tens of thousands of people.<ref>{{Citation |last=Lizano |first=Lolita |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1988|title=Flower in a Gun Barrel: The Untold Story of the Edsa Revolution |publication-place= |publisher= L.R. Lizano|isbn= |page=|url=https://books.google.com/?id=Bm0yAAAAIAAJ&dq=EDSA+Revolution&q=EDSA+Revolution |accessdate= December 2, 2007 |year=1988}}.</ref> Nuns holding rosaries knelt in front of the tanks and men and women linked arms together to block the troops.<ref>{{Citation |last=Merkl |first=Peter H. |last2= |first2=|publication-date=2005|title=The Rift Between America And Old Europe: the distracted eagle |publication-place= |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-35985-6 |page=144 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=WavpuvE2HA4C&pg=PA144&dq=EDSA+Revolution |accessdate= December 2, 2007 |year=2005}}.</ref> Tadiar asked the crowds to make a clearing for them, but they did not budge. In the end, the troops retreated with no shots fired.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
By evening, the standby transmitter of Radio Veritas failed. Shortly after midnight, the staff were able to go to another station to begin broadcasting from a secret location under the moniker [[DZRJ-AM|"Radyo Bandido"]] (Outlaw Radio, which is now known as [[DZRJ-AM]]). June Keithley, with her husband [[Angelo Castro, Jr.]], was the radio broadcaster who continued Radio Veritas' program throughout the night and in the remaining days.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness"/>
===More military defections===
At dawn on Monday, February 24, 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.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
Later, helicopters manned by the 15th Strike Wing of the [[Philippine Air Force]], led by Colonel Antonio Sotelo, were ordered from Sangley Point in Cavite (South of Manila) to head to Camp Crame.<ref name="Crisostomo">{{Citation |last=Crisostomo |first=Isabelo T. |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1987
|title=Cory, Profile of a President: The Historic Rise to Power of Corazon |publication-place= |publisher= Branden Books|isbn= 978-0-8283-1913-3|page=226 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=iW_ddLowBYkC&pg=PA226&dq=Col.+Antonio+Sotelo+to+camp+crame |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |date=April 1, 1987}}.</ref> Secretly, the squadron had already defected and instead of attacking Camp Crame, landed in it, with the crowds cheering and hugging the pilots and crew members.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
A [[Bell 214]] helicopter piloted by Major Deo Cruz of the 205th Helicopter Wing and [[Sikorsky S-76]] gunships piloted by Colonel Charles Hotchkiss of the 20th Air Commando Squadron joined the rebel squadron earlier in the air. The presence of the helicopters boosted the morale of Enrile and Ramos who had been continually encouraging their fellow soldiers to join the opposition movement.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" /> In the afternoon, Aquino arrived at the base where Enrile, Ramos, RAM officers and a throng were waiting.<ref name="Crisostomo"/>
===The capture of Channel 4===
At around that time, [[June Keithley]] received reports that Marcos had left Malacañang Palace and broadcast this to the people at EDSA. The crowd celebrated and even Ramos and Enrile came out from Crame to appear to the crowds. The jubilation was however short-lived as Marcos later appeared on television on the government-controlled [[DWGT-TV|Channel 4]],<ref>{{Citation |last=Maramba |first=Asuncion David |last2= |first2= |publication-date=1987
|title=On the Scene: The Philippine Press Coverage of the 1986 Revolution |publication-place= |publisher=Solar publishing Corp. |isbn= 978-971-17-0628-9|page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=2QAeAAAAMAAJ&dq=Channel+9+tower+in+1986+revolution&q=Channel+4 |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=1987}}.</ref> (using the foreclosed [[ABS-CBN (television network)|ABS-CBN]] facilities, transmitter and compound) declaring that he would not step down. It was thereafter speculated that the false report was a calculated move against Marcos to encourage more defections.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
During this broadcast, Channel 4 suddenly went off the air. A contingent of rebels, under Colonel Mariano Santiago, had captured the station. Channel 4 was put back on line shortly after noon, with [[Orly Punzalan]] announcing on live television, "Channel 4 is on the air again to serve the people." By this time, the crowds at EDSA had swollen to over a million. (Some estimates placed them at two million.)<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
This broadcast was considered the "return" of [[ABS-CBN (television network)|ABS-CBN]] on air because this was the time when former employees of the network were inside the complex after 14 years of closure since Marcos took it over during the Martial Law of 1972. [[DZRJ-AM|"Radyo Bandido"]] ended broadcasting that afternoon, while Radio Veritas resumed transmissions, this time from the [[ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center]]'s radio studios.
In the late afternoon, rebel helicopters attacked [[Villamor Airbase]], destroying presidential air assets. Another helicopter went to [[Malacañan Palace|Malacañang]], fired a rocket, and caused minor damage. Later, most of the officers who had graduated from the [[Philippine Military Academy]] (PMA) defected. The majority of the Armed Forces had already changed sides.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
===Marcos orders not to shoot===
{{listen| filename=Marcos_-_ver.ogg|title="Marcos' finest hour" | description=[[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Ferdinand Marcos]] and General [[Fabian Ver]] during a press conference in Malacañan Palace. | format= [[Ogg]]}}
Prior dialogues to stop the revolution have not succeeded with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which was led by General Fabian Ver. AFP was ready to mount an air strike on the day but was halted under orders of Marcos.
The actual dialogue on TV between Marcos and then AFP Chief of Staff General Fabian Ver went as follows:<ref>[https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=LK9EbyPGBm0C&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=They+are+massing+civilians+near+our+troops+and+we+cannot+keep+on+withdrawing.+You+asked+me+to+withdraw+yesterday&source=bl&ots=H-FcP3f00u&sig=c99PrGDPwrBS77fvNQ3RDtxcya8&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=They%20are%20massing%20civilians%20near%20our%20troops%20and%20we%20cannot%20keep%20on%20withdrawing.%20You%20asked%20me%20to%20withdraw%20yesterday&f=false Butterfly Mind: Revolution, Recovery, and One Reporter's Road to Understanding China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113030712/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=LK9EbyPGBm0C&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=They+are+massing+civilians+near+our+troops+and+we+cannot+keep+on+withdrawing.+You+asked+me+to+withdraw+yesterday&source=bl&ots=H-FcP3f00u&sig=c99PrGDPwrBS77fvNQ3RDtxcya8&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y |date=January 13, 2017 }} By Patrick Brown. Google Books.</ref>
{{quote|Fabian Ver: The Ambush there is aiming to mount there in the top. Very quickly, you must immediately leave to conquer them, immediately, Mr. President.<br />
Ferdinand Marcos: Just wait, come here.<br />
Ver: Please, Your Honor, so we can immediately strike them. We have to immobilize the helicopters that they've got. We have two fighter planes flying now to strike at any time, sir.<br />
Marcos: My order is not to attack. No, no, no! Hold on. My order is not to attack.<br />
Ver: They are massing civilians near our troops and we cannot keep on withdrawing. You asked me to withdraw yesterday-<br />
Marcos (interrupting): Uh yes, but ah... My order is to disperse without shooting them.<br />
Ver: We cannot withdraw all the time...<br />
Marcos: No! No! No! Hold on! You disperse the crowd without shooting them.}}
===Two inaugurations===
[[File:Corazon Aquino inauguration.jpg|thumb|300px|Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as the 11th president of the Philippines on February 25, 1986 at Sampaguita Hall (Now Kalayaan Hall).]]
On the morning of Tuesday, February 25, 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 surged to the station,<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" /> and a rebel S-76 helicopter later shot the snipers at the broadcast tower. The troops later left after a V-150 was blocked by the crowd assembled.
Later in the morning, [[Corazon Aquino]] was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at [[Club Filipino]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Crisostomo |first=Isabelo T. |last2= |first2= |publication-date=|title=Cory, Profile of a President: The Historic Rise to Power of Corazon |publication-place= |publisher= Branden Books|isbn= 978-0-8283-1913-3|page=257 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=iW_ddLowBYkC&pg=PA257&dq=Cory+Aquino+in+Club+Filipino |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |date=April 1, 1987}}.</ref> 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 her oath was held by her mother-in-law Aurora Aquino, the mother of [[Benigno Aquino, Jr.|Ninoy Aquino]]. Attending the ceremonies were Ramos, who was then promoted to General, Enrile, and many politicians.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
Outside Club Filipino, all the way to EDSA, hundreds of people cheered and celebrated. ''[[Bayan Ko]]'' (''My Country'', a popular folk song and the unofficial National Anthem of protest) was sung after Aquino's oath-taking. Many people wore yellow, the color of Aquino's campaign for presidency.
An hour later, Marcos held the inauguration at [[Malacañang Palace]]. Loyalist civilians attended the ceremony, shouting "''Marcos, Marcos, Marcos pa rin!'' (Marcos, Marcos, still Marcos!)". On the Palace balcony, Marcos took the Oath of Office, broadcast by [[Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation|IBC-13]] and [[GMA Network|GMA-7]].<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" /> None of the invited foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony, for security reasons. The couple finally emerged on the balcony of the Palace before 3,000 KBL loyalists who were shouting, "Capture the snakes!"<ref name="Ellison">{{Citation |last=Ellison |first=Katherine |last2= |first2= |publication-date=2005|title=Imelda: Steel Butterfly of the Philippines |publication-place= |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-34922-7 |page=244 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=Dfl53AtDM0oC&pg=RA1-PA244&dq=Dahil+Sa+sang+by+Imelda+Marcos |accessdate= December 3, 2007 |year=2005}}.</ref> Rather tearfully,<ref name="Ellison"/> First Lady Imelda Marcos gave a farewell rendition of the couple's theme song – the 1938 ''[[kundiman]]'' ''"[[Dahil Sa Iyo]]"'' (Because of You) – chanting the song's entreaties in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]:
<blockquote>
Because of you, I became happy<br />
Loving I shall offer you<br />
If it is true I shall be enslaved by you<br />
All of this because of you.<ref name="Ellison"/>
</blockquote>
The broadcast of the event was interrupted as rebel troops successfully captured the other stations.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
By this time, hundreds of people had amassed at the barricades along [[Mendiola]], only a hundred meters away from Malacañang. 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.<ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness" />
===Marcos' departure===
At 3:00 p.m. ([[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]) on Monday, President Marcos phoned [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Paul Laxalt]],<ref name="Ellison"/> asking for advice from the [[White House]]. Laxalt advised him to "cut and cut clean",<ref>{{Cite book|title = Reagan: the life|last = Brands|first = H W|publisher = Doubleday|year = 2015|isbn = 9780385536400|location = New York|pages = |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wHd5BAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT617&vq=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&dq=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&pg=PT617#v=onepage&q=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&f=false|deadurl = no|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160105160957/https://books.google.com/books?id=wHd5BAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT617&vq=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&dq=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&pg=PT617#v=onepage&q=laxalt%20marcos%20cut%20and%20cut%20clean&f=false|archivedate = January 5, 2016|df = mdy-all}}</ref> to which Marcos expressed his disappointment after a short pause. In the afternoon, Marcos talked to Minister Enrile, asking for safe passage for him, his family, and close allies such as General Ver.
At midnight [[Philippine Standard Time|PHT]], the Marcos family boarded a [[United States Air Force]] HH-3E Rescue [[helicopter]]s<ref name="Halperin">{{Citation|last=Halperin|first=Jonathan J.|title=The Other Side: How Soviets and Americans Perceive Each Other|url=https://books.google.com/?id=H1so7Od--csC&pg=PA63&dq=Marcos+departure|page=63|publication-date=1987|year=1987|publication-place=|publisher=Transaction Publishers|isbn=978-0-88738-687-9|accessdate=December 3, 2007|last2=|first2=}}.</ref> and flew to [[Clark Air Base]] in [[Angeles City]] 83 kilometres north of Manila.
At Clark Air Base, Marcos asked to spend ''a couple of days'' with his family in Ilocos Norte, his native province. Aquino vetoed the request. President Reagan privately derided Cory Aquino for denying Marcos a last look at his home province.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/19/magazine/reagan-and-the-philippines-setting-marcos-adrift.html?pagewanted=all |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-02-11 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170111001104/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/19/magazine/reagan-and-the-philippines-setting-marcos-adrift.html?pagewanted=all |archivedate=January 11, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
The deposed First Family and their servants then rode US Air Force [[DC9|DC-9 Medivac]] and [[C-141 Starlifter|C-141B]] planes to [[Andersen Air Force Base]] in the north of the United States territory of [[Guam]], then flying to Hickam Air Force Base in [[Hawaii]] where Marcos finally arrived on February 26. The United States Government documented that they entered the United States with millions of dollars in jewelries, gold, stocks, and cash. <ref name="Gandhi"/><ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness"/>
When news of the Marcos family's departure reached civilians, many rejoiced and danced in the streets. Over at [[Mendiola]], the demonstrators stormed the Palace, which was closed to ordinary people for around a decade. Despite looting by some angry protesters, the majority wandered about inside through rooms where national history was shaped, looking at objects extravagant and mundane that the Marcos clan and its court had abandoned in their flight.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
In other countries, people also rejoiced and congratulated Filipinos they knew. [[CBS]] anchorman [[Bob Simon]] reported: "We Americans like to think we taught the Filipinos democracy. Well, tonight they are teaching the world." <ref name="peoplepower_eyewitness"/>
Some authors say that Marcos prevented civil war similar to the [[Syrian Civil War]] by refusing to use guns notwithstanding the insistence of his top general, and by agreeing to step down during the EDSA revolution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manilatimes.net/level-duterte-drop-scourge-syrian-civil-war/291350/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-01-10 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112181957/http://www.manilatimes.net/level-duterte-drop-scourge-syrian-civil-war/291350/ |archivedate=January 12, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/hail-to-the-chair-by-victor-avecilla/226306/why-the-reds-hate-marcos-20170110.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-02-24 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112181419/http://thestandard.com.ph/opinion/columns/hail-to-the-chair-by-victor-avecilla/226306/why-the-reds-hate-marcos-20170110.html |archivedate=January 12, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The White House said "By leaving the Philippines at a critical juncture in his nation's history, Mr. Marcos permitted the peaceful transition to popular, democratic rule."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/29/obituaries/ferdinand-marcos-ousted-leader-of-philippines-dies-at-72-in-exile.html |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-02-11 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112181330/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/29/obituaries/ferdinand-marcos-ousted-leader-of-philippines-dies-at-72-in-exile.html |archivedate=January 12, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
==Aftermath==
{{main|Presidency of Corazon Aquino}}
{{wikisource|Provisional Constitution of the Philippines (1986)|Proclamation № 3: Provisional Constitution of the Philippines (1986)}}
Immediately after her accession, Aquino issued Proclamation № 3, a [[provisional constitution]] which established a [[revolutionary government]]. The edict promulgated the 1986 Freedom Constitution, which retained or superseded various provisions of the 1973 Constitution that was in force up to that point. This allowed Aquino to wield both executive and legislative powers; among her first acts was to unilaterally abolish the [[Batasang Pambansa]] (the unicameral legislature [[Philippine parliamentary election, 1984|duly elected in 1984]]), pending a plebiscite for a more permanent Constitution and the establishment of a new Congress by 1987.<ref>{{cite book |author=[[Joaquin G. Bernas]] |title=The Intent of the 1986 Constitution Writers|publisher=Rex Book Store|location=Manila, Philippines|year=1995|pages=2–4 }}</ref>
The revolution had an effect on [[democratization]] movements in such countries as [[Taiwan]] and [[South Korea]]; other effects include the restoration of the freedom of the press, abolition of repressive laws enforced by the previous regime, the adoption of the [[1987 Constitution]], and the subordination of the military to civilian rule, despite several coup attempts during Aquino's rule.<ref name="aftermath">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12567320 |title=People Power at 25: Long road to Philippine democracy |first=Kate |last=McGeown |work=BBC.co.uk |date=February 25, 2011 |accessdate=February 25, 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226073508/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12567320 |archivedate=February 26, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
The revolution provided for the restoration of democratic institutions after thirteen years of totalitarian rule and these institutions have been used by various groups to challenge the entrenched [[Political family|political families]] and to strengthen Philippine democracy.<ref>{{Citation |last=Putzel |first=James |authorlink= |year=Spring 1999 |month= |title=Survival of an imperfect democracy in the Philippines |journal=Democratization |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=198–223 |id= |url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a782511206~db=all |accessdate=December 4, 2007 |quote= |doi=10.1080/13510349908403603 |postscript=. |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217155840/http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a782511206~db=all |archivedate=February 17, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
But, the biggest gatherings in the world, a few months after the 1986 revolution, like the anniversary celebration of [[Catholic Charismatic Renewal]] group [[El Shaddai (movement)|El Shaddai]] headed by [[Mike Velarde|Bro. Mike Velarde]] in August and the [[Evangelical charismatic movement|Evangelical Charismatic Christian]] group [[Jesus is Lord Church]] to coincidence with the birthday celebration of televangelist [[Eddie Villanueva|Bro. Eddie Villanueva]] in October at the [[Quirino Grandstand]], a few years before the January 12-16, 1995 Manila visit of [[Pope John Paul II]] for the [[World Youth Day 1995|10th World Youth Day 1995 (Manila)]], when the largest papal crowd in history and the [[Independence_Day_(Philippines)#Centennial]] celebration on June 12, 1998 attended by more than four million people and the [[Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines|State Visit and Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Philippines 2015]] closing mass on January 18, 2015, both are the biggest and the largest gatherings in the world, not only in the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.asianews.it/newsen/The-Philippines,-1995:-Pope-dreams-of-the-Third-Millennium-of-Asia-2947.html PHILIPPINES – TRIPS IN ASIA – AN OVERVIEW The Philippines, 1995: Pope dreams of "the Third Millennium of Asia" – Asia News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Legacy==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Edsa People Power monument.jpg|thumbnail|Statue commemorating the revolution along EDSA near the entrance of Camp Aguinaldo.]] -->
The People Power Revolution has inspired a call for change of government through peaceful protests rather than bloodshed. Many similar revolutions have followed since then, taking the Philippine example of nonviolent regime change, such as that in [[Fall of the Berlin Wall|East Germany]] and many other former Soviet Bloc countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/24/comment-remembering-philippines-people-power-revolution |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-05-16 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221214001/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/02/24/comment-remembering-philippines-people-power-revolution |archivedate=December 21, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
The EDSA Revolution Anniversary is a special [[public holiday in the Philippines]]. Since 2010, the holiday has been a special non-working holiday.<ref name="pn295">[http://www.gov.ph/2011/11/24/proclamation-no-295-s-2011/ Proclamation No. 295: Declaring 2012 National Holidays] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117171806/http://www.gov.ph/2011/11/24/proclamation-no-295-s-2011/ |date=January 17, 2013 }}, December 12, 2011, Official Gazette of the Philippines</ref><ref name="p1841">{{cite web |url=http://www.laborlaw.usc-law.org/download/pdf/2010_Holidays.pdf |title=Proclamation No. 1841 |date=July 21, 2009 |website=Philippine Labor Laws |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010145524/http://www.laborlaw.usc-law.org/download/pdf/2010_Holidays.pdf |archivedate=October 10, 2017 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
[[File:People Power Revolution commemorative 10-peso coin obverse and reverse.png|right|thumbnail|10-peso coin commemorating the People Power Revolution]]
Rampant corruption during the term of President [[Joseph Estrada]] led to the similar [[Second EDSA Revolution]] leading to his resignation from the presidency.
On January 19, 2001, the [[Armed Forces of the Philippines]], seeing the political upheaval throughout the country, decided to withdraw its support from the president and transfer its allegiance to the vice president, [[Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo]]. The following day, the Supreme Court declared that the seat of presidency was vacant.
At noon of January 20, 2001, the Supreme Court declared that Estrada "constructively resigned" his post and the Chief Justice swore in the constitutional successor [[Vice President of the Philippines|Vice President]] [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo|Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo]] was sworn into office by [[Supreme Court of the Philippines|Supreme Court]] Chief Justice [[Hilario Davide Jr.|Hilario G. Davide Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://opinion.inquirer.net/92289/sc-arroyo-takeover-constitutional|title=SC: Arroyo takeover constitutional|last=Panganiban|first=Artemio V.|date=January 24, 2016|work=Inquirer|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/01/27/1417225/erap-resigned-president-cant-run-again-lawyer|title=Erap resigned as president, can't run again — lawyer|last=Diaz|first=Jess|date=January 27, 2015|website=Philstar|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=2018-04-27}}</ref>
In 2003, the ''Radio Broadcast of the Philippine People Power Revolution'' was inscribed in the [[UNESCO]] [[Memory of the World Register]], the official documentary heritage list of the [[United Nations]]' educational and scientific body.<ref>http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-7/radio-broadcast-of-the-philippine-people-power-revolution/#c188230 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150824190648/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/flagship-project-activities/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-7/radio-broadcast-of-the-philippine-people-power-revolution/ |date=August 24, 2015 }}</ref>
On September 12, 2007, [[Trial of Joseph Estrada|Estrada was found guilty of plunder]] beyond reasonable doubt by the [[Sandiganbayan|Philippine anti-graft court]] and sentenced to life imprisonment.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/84269/estradas-plunder-conviction-remembered|title=Estrada’s plunder conviction remembered|last=Rodis|first=Rodel|date=August 28, 2013|work=Inquirer|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/60117/erap-guilty-of-plunder-sentenced-to-reclusion-perpetua/story/|title=Erap guilty of plunder, sentenced to reclusion perpetua|last=|first=|date=September 12, 2007|work=GMA News Online|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Sturcke"/> He was pardoned by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on October 25, 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-philippines-estrada-idUKMNB0007120071025|title=Former Philippine president Estrada pardoned|last=Mogato|first=Manny|date=October 25, 2007|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-04-27|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
==Timeline==
{{main|Timeline of People Power Revolution}}
==See also==
*[[EDSA (road)|Epifanio de los Santos Avenue]] for more information about the road
*[[Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo]]
*[[EDSA Shrine]]
*[[People Power Monument]]
'''General:'''
* [[Timeline of the Marcos Dictatorship]]
'''Similar events:'''
*[[EDSA II]]
*[[EDSA III]]
*[[Protests against Rodrigo Duterte]]
* [[Gdańsk Agreement]] of 1980 and [[Polish Round Table Agreement|Round Table Agreement]] of 1989, both induced by peaceful protests in Poland by [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]]
*[[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]
*[[Romanian Revolution]]
*[[Velvet Revolution]], in Czechoslovakia
*[[8888 Uprising]], in Burma (now Myanmar)
*[[May 1998 riots of Indonesia]]
*[[Iranian Revolution]]
*[[Tunisian Revolution]]
*[[Egyptian Revolution of 2011]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Commons category}}
==Bibliography==
*Baron, Cynthia S. and Suazo, Melba M. ''Nine Letters: The Story of the 1986 Filipino Revolution.'' Quezon City, Philippines. Gerardo P. Baron Books. 1986.
*Johnson, Brian. ''The Four Days of Courage: The Untold Story of the People Who Brought Marcos Down.'' Toronto, Canada. McClelland and Stewart, 1987.
*Mendoza, Amado, '"People Power" in the Philippines, 1983–86', in [[Adam Roberts (scholar)|Adam Roberts]] and [[Timothy Garton Ash]] (eds.), [http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20111208132001/http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199552016.do ''Civil Resistance and Power Politics: The Experience of Non-violent Action from Gandhi to the Present''], Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. {{ISBN|978-0-19-955201-6}}. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629175120/http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Politics/ComparativePolitics/?view=usa&ci=9780199552016 ''US edition'']. [https://books.google.com/books?id=BxOQKrCe7UUC&dq=Civil+resistance+and+power+politics&source=gbs_navlinks_s ''On Google''].
*Mercado, Paul Sagmayao, and Tatad, Francisco S. ''People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An eyewitness history.'' Manila, Philippines. The James B. Reuter, S.J., Foundation. 1986.
*Schock, Kurt. ''Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Movements in Nondemocracies.'' Minneapolis, USA. University of Minnesota Press. 2005.
{{Martial EDSA |state=expanded}}
{{Fall of Communism}}
{{Cold War}}
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[[Category:People Power Revolution| ]]
[[Category:1986 in the Philippines]]
[[Category:1980s coups d'état and coup attempts]]
[[Category:20th-century revolutions]]
[[Category:Armed Forces of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Battles and conflicts without fatalities]]
[[Category:Colour revolutions]]
[[Category:Presidency of Ferdinand Marcos]]
[[Category:History of the Philippines (1965–86)]]
[[Category:History of Metro Manila]]
[[Category:Imelda Marcos]]
[[Category:Military history of the Philippines]]
[[Category:Nonviolent revolutions]]
[[Category:Protests in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Presidential elections in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Rebellions in the Philippines]]
[[Category:February 1986 events]]
