The Tamesis
February 26, 2026
Manila – Activist Teddy Casino was just 17 when nearly 2 million Filipinos poured onto Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the main thoroughfare that cuts through Metro Manila, in a series of demonstrations that culminated in the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr in 1986.
But Mr. Casino’s journey to political consciousness that would shape his life began three years earlier. This awakening was sparked by the assassination on the tarmac of Manila airport of former opposition senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., one of the elder Marcos’ fiercest critics.
The elder Marcos’ 20-year rule – including a nine-year period of martial law from 1972 to 1981 – was marred by widespread corruption and media censorship, as well as the killing, torture and disappearance of government critics.
Mr Cassino said his father took him to the massive protests in the capital after Mr Aquino’s death, an experience that drew him and many Filipinos to join the protest movement. These demonstrations eventually led to the peaceful revolution that became known as “EDSA People Power”.
“Those were my formative years. It piqued my curiosity about the people I saw on the streets at that time who were fighting for something bigger than themselves,” he told The Straits Times.
Four decades later, Mr. Cassino — once a lawmaker and now a leading figure in the Philippines’ progressive opposition — says he has come full circle now that he is mentoring the next generation of student activists.
“I’m glad that many young children are still interested in (what happened during martial law) despite all the distractions and misinformation,” he said.
However, he added that the EDSA People Power anniversary on February 25 should not just evoke nostalgia.
“People tend to look back on EDSA (anniversaries) and relive the joy of the days when we overthrew dictators,” he said. “But the reasons for the problems we have today, such as corruption and poverty, can be traced to the failure of successive governments to maintain the ethos of people power.”
Mr. Cassino’s remarks captured the contradictions faced by Filipinos as they commemorate the 40th anniversary of the revolution. The peaceful uprising that toppled the dictatorship is being commemorated during the presidency of Marcos Sr.’s son, at a time when dynastic politics is more entrenched than ever.
Currently, the Philippines’ two most powerful officials – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte – are scions of two of the country’s most powerful political families.
Xiao Cai, a historian at De La Salle University in Manila, said that even if some Filipinos may become disenchanted 40 years later, the revolution itself should not be considered a failure.
He said the subsequent democratic transition resulted in a new constitution that restored civil liberties and reopened political freedoms. But over the past four decades, some of the leaders who inspired the revolutionary spirit have subsequently disappointed voters by either implementing controversial policies or failing to address persistent inequality.
“Political elites exploit the narrative of people power for their own benefit. These forces fail the people and tarnish the achievements of the revolution,” Professor Cai said.
For example, the 1987 constitution attempted to curb political dynasties by prohibiting members of the same family from holding public office simultaneously. However, the lack of enabling laws allowed influential clans to remain dominant decades after a revolution that was in part an effort to resist entrenched power.
That’s because lawmakers, many of whom hail from dynasties, have not prioritized passage of the bill for years.
Those tensions were evident at anniversary protests on February 25, where calls to defend democratic institutions intertwined with anger over a widening flood control corruption scandal that implicated lawmakers, contractors and local officials.
Thousands of protesters came to EDSA, including Generation Z and Millennials not yet born in 1986. Young activists chanted: “Pugs, fascists – Marcos, Duterte are the same thing!”
Clarence Lindo, a 21-year-old philosophy student at the University of Santo Tomas, said Filipino youth have a lot to be angry about. “Some of the older generation question why we didn’t go through martial law when young people were here,” he said.
“But the same conditions that characterized the dictatorship — corruption, state violence, government nepotism, capitalism — are still happening today and have not been addressed even after people power.”
Political scientist Kiko Aquino Dee of the University of the Philippines Diliman — the grandson of democratic icons Ninoy Aquino and Corazon Aquino, who succeeded Marcos Sr. as president after the uprising — described the People Power anniversary as a moment of civic reckoning.
He is also one of the leaders of liberal opposition groups that have denounced alleged corruption in the younger Marcos government.
“One of the important themes was self-reflection. If we had restored democracy to the country in February 1986, that would have meant that power in the country had returned to the people,” Mr Dee said.
“That means the responsibility for what happens in this country going forward, whether good or bad, also lies in the hands of the people.”
However, the protests also exposed divisions within the opposition.
Liberals have mainly called for accountability and institutional reform, while some progressive groups have made more radical demands, including calls for a revolutionary government and the impeachment of Marcos and Duterte.
Mr Cassino described the divide bluntly, saying: “One side is angry because they don’t like the corrupt government. The other side is angry because they are hungry.”
The anniversary comes amid speculation that liberal forces are realigning in the wake of the announcement.
Ms. Duterte is running for president in 2028, and some observers believe Mr. Marcos will adopt a more pragmatic approach to prevent her from taking the palace.
Some say Mr Marcos could be seen as the “lesser of two evils” compared with his erstwhile ally Ms Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Despite the Philippines’ decades-long alliance with the United States, Duterte has sought closer ties with China during his term. He currently faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court for waging a bloody war on drugs that left thousands dead between 2016 and 2022.
Tensions arose within the opposition movement last week after Mr. Marcos launched a government project in the city of Naga, south of Manila, just days after Mr. Duterte announced his candidacy for president, with liberal stalwart Leni Robredo as mayor.
The move drew criticism from progressive groups, who feared it could be seen as Mr. Marcos seeking an alliance with liberals to help fight Ms. Duterte.
Ms Robredo lost the 2022 presidential race to Marcos but remains one of the potential challengers in 2028, although she has not said whether she will run.
Professor Chua said the debate reflected how accountability politics and pragmatism continued to collide in post-EDSA democracies.
“It would be too much if one day the opposition forms an alliance with Marcos Jr. because the common enemy is Duterte,” he said.
“For many of us, the Marcos family still has not acknowledged the atrocities committed during martial law.”
Despite political differences, opposition figures point to signs that the spirit of people power continues to resonate, especially among younger Filipinos who have no memory of martial law. Mr Dee cited student-led protests over the flood scandal as evidence of continued civic engagement.
For Mr. Cassino, the real lesson of people power lies more in promoting dialogue across divides than just spectacles of unity.
“In the old Marcos era, there was this division (among opposition forces) as well. But because the lines were black and white, people agreed that they had to abolish the dictatorship in order to move forward,” he said.
“This is what the memory of People Power challenges us to do again today,” he added.
“Let’s talk about the issues and the level of planning we can unite on.”
