Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
During the EDSA Revolution Commemoration and wreath-laying ceremony
[Delivered at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani, Fort Bonifacio, Makati, Metro Manila, February 22, 1995]
Triumph of freedom
and peace
IT IS BUT FITTING that we signal the start of the four-day celebration of the EDSA anniversary here at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani—on this hallowed ground where heroes of many campaigns lie.
By doing so, we reiterate our gratitude to those brave men and women—heroes from 1896 to 1986, not a few of whom sleep on nameless graves—who willingly paid the ultimate price for the freedom, peace and dignity we enjoy.
Nine years ago, during those four shining days at EDSA, these aspirations burned furiously and bright in the hearts of the soldiers at Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo, the tens of thousands of Filipinos who occupied the streets in defiance of the tanks, and the millions of their countrymen who joined them in hope and prayers.
National solidarity
In the strong national solidarity that burst to the forefront, we redeemed during those four days all the sacrifices that heroes past rendered to provide us with a legacy of freedom, democracy and justice.
Indeed, we were united in will and resolve, but not merely to throw out an authoritarian regime that ran counter to this democratic legacy.
Our EDSA Revolution has a deeper meaning at its core. We were galvanized to direct action by the desire to establish a society that respects human dignity and individual liberties, to live in a land that is not torn apart by strifes and is at peace with itself, to have a representative government that is both effective and accountable, and to institute a dynamic and prosperous economy.
As we take stock of where we are today, we find that we have significantly advanced toward the goals we sought on those fateful days.
And so, we launch the celebration of the EDSA Revolution anniversary here at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.
Because here on this resting place of our countrymen who served our nation with courage and selflessness also lie our moorings, the foundation of our strength and the starting point of our national strivings. Our peaceful uprising of February 1986 truly has its roots in this place.
The quest for peace
To me, that it was a bloodless one all the more attunes the EDSA Revolution to the message of peace eloquently conveyed from this sacred ground.
It may seem paradoxical, but it is the soldier who is first and foremost for peace. More than others, the soldier knows from firsthand experience the cruelties of war and its hardships—what it does, not only to combatants, but to families and ordinary civilians who are caught in its vortex.
As a former soldier who has been privileged to become President, so am I an ardent advocate of peace. I am truly gratified that our People Power Revolution in February 1986 inspired and touched off similar uprisings for peace and freedom in other parts of the world.
The EDSA Revolution has influenced us in our search for peaceful ways to resolve the conflicts that have exacted from -us a heavy toll of lives and suffering.
My Administration’s efforts at reconciliation—highlighted by two sets of amnesty proclamations—have resulted in persuading thousands of our disaffected countrymen to cross over back to the mainstream of society to rejoin their families and once more become productive citizens.
We continue to pursue our initiatives to bring all rebel groups of various persuasions to the negotiating table, rather than engage them on the battlefield.
I see the forthcoming elections as another step toward attaining for ourselves greater peace and political stability and the perfection of Philippine democracy. Let us work together to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections (HOPE).
Other challenges, new crusades
We shall emerge stronger from this political exercise by solidifying the national consensus for development.
Nine years have passed since the EDSA Revolution of 1986, and we have gone on to face other challenges and embark on new crusades. But we shall never forget that proud moment of our history—the ideals of liberty, justice and peace it bannered shall remain our constant guide in all our undertakings.
Let us prove ourselves worthy of the sacrifices of our heroic forebears.
In this commemoration, let us pledge to work doubly hard to strengthen the unity we forged at EDSA. Let us move forward with even greater resolve to our destiny as a free and peace-loving people and a dignified, prosperous nation.