- February 25, 1986 - A significant national event that has been engraved in the hearts and minds of every

Filipino. - gives us a strong sense of pride especially that other nations had attempted to emulate what we have shown the world of the true power of democracy - Prayers and rosaries strengthened by faith were the only weapons that the

Filipinos used to recover their freedom from President Ferdinand Marcoss iron hands. - It was the power of the people, who assembled in EDSA, that restored the democratic Philippines, ending the oppressive Marcos regime. Events that led to EDSA Revolution

1. Ferdinand E. Marcos was elected as the president of the Philippines in 1965. He

won against Diosdado Macapagal. He was reelected in 1969, the first president to be elected for two consecutive terms. However by the late 1960s to the early 1970s, discontent among the people started to grow, starting with the involvement of the Philippines in the Vietnam War and the general dissatisfaction of the public over their quality of life. Several opposition groups were formed like Communist Party of the Philippines in 1968 (which took over the cause of the old Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) and its alliance with the New People's Army (which came from the old Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan) in 1969.

2. The declaration of Martial Law Proclamation in 1972 by President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The political situation turned for the worse as two hand grenades
exploded at the miting de avance of the Liberal Party (LP) just before the senatorial elections of 1971, injuring some of their candidates such as Jovito Salonga and Gerardo Roxas. In response, Marcos suspended the writ of habeas corpus; however another spate of bombings in the metropolis happened in 1972. Then opposition Sen. Benigno Ninoy Aquino, Jr. exposed 'Oplan Sagittarius' to Congress, a plan of Marcos to put some parts of the country under martial law.Through this decree, Marcos seized emergency powers giving him full control of the Philippine military and the authority to suppress the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and many other civil liberties. Marcos also dissolved the Philippine Congress and shut down media establishments critical of the Marcos government. Marcos also ordered the immediate arrest of his political opponents and critics. Among those arrested were Senate President Jovito Salonga, SenatorJose Diokno, and Senator Benigno Aquino Jr..

3. The assassination of Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.

In 1973 he was arrested and incarcerated for 7 years, but was allowed to depart for the United States to seek medical treatment after he suffered a heart attack in 1980. Aquino, who had lived in self-imposed exile for three years in the United States, decided to come home despite threats to his life. On August 21 1983, Aquino arrived at the Manila International Airport, and was killed along with the alleged assassin, Rolando Galman. The assassination of Ninoy Aquino caused the economy of the country to deteriorate even further, and the government plunged further into debt. By the end of 1983, the country was bankrupt, and the economy contracted by 6.8%. In 1984, Marcos appointed a commission, led by Chief Justice Enrique Fernando, to launch an investigation into Aquinos assassination. Despite the commissions conclusions, Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, declined an offer to join the commission and rejected the governments views on the assassination. By October, Marcos appointed a second commission to investigate. The commissions final report accused the military of staging a conspiracy to assassinate Aquino, dealing another major blow to the already.

4. The Snap Elections in 1986

Marcos suddenly announced that a presidential snap election would take place the following year, one year ahead of the regular presidential election schedule, to legitimize his control over the country. 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. The growing opposition movement encouraged Ninoy Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino, to run for the presidency with Salvador Laurel as running mate for vice-president. Marcos ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentino as his running mate. The Aquino-Laurel tandem ran under the United Opposition (UNIDO) party, while the Marcos-Tolentino ticket ran under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) party. The snap election was held in February 7, 1986. It was the most corrupt and deceitful election held in the Philippine history. There was an evident trace of electoral fraud as the tally of votes were declared with discrepancy between the official count by the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and the count of NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections). Such blatant corruption in that election was the final straw of tolerance by the Filipinos of the Marcos regime. The demonstration started to break in the cry for democracy and the demand to oust Marcos from his seat at Malacaang Palace. One of the most brutal incidents that happened in connection with the snap elections was the killing of lawyer Evelio Javier, opposition ex-governor of Antique, on 11 February 1986. Javier was chased and shot to death in broad daylight at the provincial capitol. The assassination was considered as one of the tipping points that led to the revolution. At his funeral mass, the official statement of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines was read, condemning the electionss.