ASEANEWS HEADLINE-EDSA REVOLUTION CELEB | MANILA: ‘EDSA at 40: Moral fatigue threatens Philippines’
Officers take part in a rehearsal yesterday for the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the people power revolution on Feb. 25. Organizers of ‘EDSA 40: Tuloy ang Laban sa Korapsyon at Kahirapan’ met with the MMDA and other agencies to discuss traffic flow, security measures and crowd management during the event./ Michael Varcas
COUP D’ETAT: The Philippines Revolt (1986) | Documentary
This was among the questions posed by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera in his homily on Thursday, where he warned of a new threat he described as “moral fatigue.”
“The greatest danger today is not only historical distortion, but moral fatigue. When freedom is treated merely as a memory and not a duty, the spirit of EDSA slowly dies,” Garcera said during the novena mass at the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace in Quezon City.
Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA people power revolt on Feb. 25, Garcera said moral fatigue arises when freedom is remembered only as a memory, faith becomes devotion without courage and peace is sought without justice.
The CBCP president urged Filipinos to actively safeguard freedom and truth as part of the lessons of 1986.
He noted that during the February uprising, millions of Filipinos gathered at EDSA to protest the dictatorship, with the movement sustained not only by collective action but by prayer – with rosaries in hand and hymns in the air
.
@[email protected]
.
Garcera then asked citizens to confront modern challenges with the same courage, responsibility and moral conviction that shaped the people power revolution.
“Freedom has a cost. Peace has a price. Faith demands responsibility. The freedom restored in 1986 did not come without sacrifice. Some gave their lives. Many risked their security. Countless others offered the quiet sacrifice of conscience – choosing what was right even when it was dangerous. As Jesus reminds us, ‘What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit oneself?’”Garcera added.
While acknowledging that EDSA was not perfect, he said “it was real. And at its heart was a collective decision to choose life over death, freedom over fear and peace over violence.”
March approved
The third leg of the Trillion Peso March will proceed as scheduled on Feb. 25 at the People Power Monument, having secured a permit from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
MMDA traffic enforcement director Victor Nuñez confirmed that of the five who applied for rally permits, only the Trillion Peso March was approved.
All other portions of EDSA, including EDSA-Ortigas, where the EDSA Shrine is located, were designated as “no rally zones.”
“We leave it up to the security clusters to maintain peace in those areas,” Nuñez said.
Commenting on the protest event next week, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan president Renato Reyes Jr. slammed the restriction set on EDSA-Ortigas.
.
@[email protected]
.
“How ironic that those seeking to commemorate that historic act are now being told they can’t rally in the same historic place,” he told The STAR in a Viber message.
Authorities and Trillion Peso March organizers conducted a walkthrough of the People Power Monument along White Plains Avenue yesterday in preparation for Wednesday’s event.
“The MMDA has assured the public that no road closures will be implemented along EDSA, which will remain fully passable throughout the day,” MMDA said.
Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee said no politicians will be addressing the crowd in the Trillion Peso March.
He clarified that the event will tolerate calls for impeachment and resignation of the two highest executives, provided these remain within legal bounds.
“What’s not allowed are calls violating the Constitution, such as calls for violence, against armed forces and unelected officials taking office,” he added.
Authorities are expecting 30,000 people to attend the Trillion Peso March.
Regular pay
Meanwhile, workers who report for duty on Feb. 25 will receive regular pay as the day remains classified as a special working day, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said.
In a labor advisory, DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said Feb. 25 will be treated as an “ordinary working day for purposes of wages” computation, meaning workers are entitled to 100 percent of their basic wage for the first eight hours of work.
.
@[email protected]
.
Under the advisory, employees who do not report for work will be covered by the “no work, no pay” policy, unless a more favorable company policy, practice, or collective bargaining agreement provides otherwise.
DOLE also said employees who render overtime work on the day must be paid an additional 25 percent of their hourly rate.
Class suspensions
Among schools that have announced class and work suspensions on Feb. 25 are Adamson University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Santo Tomas and Mapua University (Manila, Makati and Ayala Malls Manila Bay campuses).
.
@[email protected]
.
University of the Philippines-Los Baños, meanwhile, is suspending face-to-face classes.
Earlier, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle Philippines and University of the East (Manila and Caloocan campuses) announced class suspensions for the people power commemoration.— Andrew Ronquillo, Christine Boton
Ads by:
Memento Maxima Digital Marketing
