26 February 2016 - In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the EDSA Revolution, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco partnered with the Filipino-American community to form the EDSA People Power @30 Organizing Committee, which was tasked to conceptualize and produce a series of events in celebration of this momentous occasion in Philippine history.
The first event, entitled “Voices of People Power,” was held at the Social Hall of the Philippine Center on February 12.
The event featured columnist and author Benjamin Pimentel, who wrote “An Underground Tale: The Journey of Edgar Jopson and the First Quarter Storm” and “Mga Gerilya sa Powell Street.” Pimentel spoke about the fear and silence that prevailed during martial law and the activists who defied the dictatorship for 14 years before the victorious EDSA People Power uprising. Mr. Pimentel’s main message was that, at a time when social media did not exist, concerned Filipino citizens were already mobilizing themselves and questioning institutions and structures during martial law.
Cindy Domingo, a long-time community activist in Seattle, spoke about the successful pursuit of justice for the 1981 murders of union leaders and anti-Marcos activists Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, and how the neo-colonial relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines facilitated the surveillance and harassment of Filipino activists in the U.S.
Award-winning filmmaker/video producer Jethro Patalinghug presented his much-acclaimed documentary “My Revolutionary Mother,” which recounts his mother Virginia Patalinghug’s struggle to balance her community organizing and raising her family during martial law and during the post-Marcos years.
Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. stressed that the EDSA Revolution was the culmination of years of dissidence and discontent. “It was the actions prior to 1986 of these “rebels with a cause,” bravely and publicly challenging the existing institutions and structures then, that slowly awakened Filipinos and gave them strength to find their voice and the will to stand up for their rights and freedom.” The message that evening was clear to everyone who attended the event – the Filipino people will not allow the Philippines to experience any form of dictatorship, and the EDSA legacy of pagkakaisa and pagkapit-bisig are still practiced by Filipinos thirty years later.
The event was attended by over 120 people, including Filipino-American youth, people who were in the Philippines and those who protested in the Bay Area during the martial law years, as well as members of the media. The evening culminated in the community singing “Bayan Ko,” which was led by the Bay Area-located martial law protesters. END