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MANILA — Thousands of Filipinos gathered along EDSA-Ortigas on February 25, 2026 in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the People Power uprising even with the thick police barricades blocking the National Shrine from protesters. Citing “no rally zones” and permit issues, authorities stalled the program, banned the stage truck and confined protesters into a limited space.

“Tabi! Tabi! Dadaan kami!” the protesters asserted.

Former Bayan Muna representative and now Bayan Chairperson Teddy Casiño said the blockade betrayed the spirit of 1986 and the right to peaceful assembly. Caritas Philippines Bishop Gerry Alminaza and other leaders negotiated to let the march proceed but were declined, with police enforcing traffic concerns.

Protesters stood their ground, pushing past rows of policemen as they asserted the central call of EDSA 40: “Tuloy ang laban kontra korupsyon at kahirapan, lahat ng sangkot dapat managot.” (The fight against corruption and poverty continues. All corrupt politicians must be held accountable.)

By 1:00 p.m., tensions escalated, breaking the barricade. Amid the clash, activists from Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan Three Odenas and Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates Edel Parducho were arrested, facing direct assault and public assembly charges. They are still detained at Mandaluyong Police Headquarters as inquest proceedings were scheduled last Thursday.

Alminaza underscored that EDSA does not belong to any party and administration, as well as not owned by a single generation.

“EDSA belongs to the people. This is not just a traffic issue. This cannot be regulated like an ordinary place,” Alminaza said in Filipino.

Calls for new flood

Alimaza opened the program by highlighting that civil liberties, democratic space, and accountability are foundations of a strong nation. He warned that just as EDSA was flooded with people 40 years ago, the Philippines now must confront new floods in the face of corruption, poverty, land grabbing, environmental destruction, and human rights abuses.

“Hindi ito hiwa-hiwalay na issues. These are structural injustices. Mga kasamaan na nagiging normal dahil hinahayaan ng sistema. Tolerated evils!” Aliminaza lamented.

He also invoked the concept of “Hayuma,” defined as the careful mending of torn nets, as a metaphor in restoring dignity, trust, and social structures.

“Charity is not enough,” he stated, saying that justice means changing the system as love is not passive. He added that love must defend life, protect the vulnerable, demand accountability, and shape public life.

Alminaza urged the Filipinos to participate in the movement as all are called to be the new flood against injustices.

Calls for accountability

“If we unite, miracles can happen,” said Benedictine nun Mother Mary John Mananzan. She stressed that more than putting corrupt officials in jail, they must also collectively call to return what they have stolen.

Karl Suyat of Project Gunita recalled the ousting of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 40 years ago, yet the same problem remains.

“Poverty, corruption, human rights abuses and the power of a few in power continue,” he added, saying that Marcos Jr. is just the same: a plunderer and must also be ousted.

ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio reminded Filipinos of three stark realities about the Marcos-Duterte administration, pointing to the duo’s unprecedented corruption in its first three years, their direct gains from the flood control scandal, and the use of laws to shield them and their allies in power.

Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot initiator David San Juan also criticized selective investigations and unresolved cases against corrupt officials thriving in political dynasties.

Former political prisoner Amanda Echanis, meanwhile, pointed out the irony in the country’s justice system. “Why are they imprisoning those who truly serve and help farmers?” asked Echanis in Filipino, recalling her imprisonment in Cagayan Valley, where farmers endure deep hunger and poverty.

Instead of aid, she added that the government responds to empty stomachs and ruined fields through bombs, violence, red-tagging, and human rights violations. She also condemned the cycle of violence against human rights defenders, remembering the killing of her father Randall Echanis amid pandemic.

“How far does the cycle of injustice go?” Echanis said.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Iglesia Filipina Indipendiente said, “As we mark 40 years of EDSA, we remember how the might of tyranny crumbled before the courage of the people. Today, that same courage demands that those in power be held accountable for betraying its democratic spirit and the people’s hard-won victory over tyranny.”

Philippine Carmelite Province of St. Titus Brandsma also said, “We recognize that democracy is a work in progress, and we will continue to offer ourselves as vessels of hope in prayer and in action, by living our mission of allowing the last, the lost, and the least to experience God’s love amid suffering and difficulty.

“With this, we join the call for accountability and transparency in government and an end to the self-perpetuating scourge of political dynasties,” they added.

Standing strong despite police barricades, the people of EDSA 40 demonstrated strength in fighting against corruption, demanding fair governance, and defending human rights. Renato Reyes Jr. of Bagong Alyasang Makabayan said the police blockade was totally unnecessary and unjustified.

“It was a display of fascist power on the day we commemorate ‘people power.’ It was the police that caused inconvenience to the public,” Reyes said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Jojo Lacanilao of Duterte Panagutin Network urged the youth to recognize their power in challenging dictatorship. He also expressed hope for accountability in the case of Rodrigo Duterte, saying that after the dark nights of the war on drugs, dawn is breaking. The commemoration affirmed that more than remembering, the spirit of People Power uprising lives on, calling on Filipinos to collectively persist until structural injustices are replaced by dignity, transparency, and hope. (With reports from Anne Marxze D. Umil) RVO

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