EDSA UNO to EDSA USO

Twenty six years ago, and by this time, people were either crying or laughing at the sight of an abandoned Malacanang palace. A day before, a throng of flag-waiving flock were organized by the Marcoses to show how the people continues to support them. Now, those crowds were no longer there, and news that the Marcoses already fled and were seen at the airport in Hawaii made thousands cry.


Twenty six long years, and now, there are no crowds in Malacanang, no crowd either in that hallowed part of the 23 kilometer stretch of EDSA and no nun giving a sunflower to a sun-burnt soldier. Today, no one is really seriously celebrating EDSA unlike before when crowds took to the streets to party after Cory celebrated her first year in power. 


The reality is, no one seemed to mind if that incident happened or not, or that event took place in the history of this country or not at all. When EDSA became a worldwide sensation, every single Filipino says he's proud of it, that this is the way to change things. Yet, as years past, and the promises of EDSA slowly died, along came those who say that EDSA is an alternative to revolutions. 


THOSE WHO CLAIM TO HAVE BEEN AT EDSA, OR THOSE WHO CLAIM TO HAVE ENGINEERED THIS FEAT, are all withdrawing their claims, even diluting the societal importance of EDSA as a political game changer to just relegate it to just doing good and acting little things for the sake of the many.


EDSA really started on the wrong foot. EDSA was never EDSA in the first place.  


EDSA was never Catholic, nor was it ever Muslim, or Iglesia or Christian. 


EDSA was not a military creation, nor was it a civilian idea. EDSA was not "people power" and "people power" was never EDSA. EDSA was not Cory or the Aquino family nor was it a Cojuangco-invention. 


EDSA was not really "Edsa". True Edsa is not EDSA uso. 


The reason why people slowly disassociated themselves with EDSA is the fact this "phenomenon" was slowly institutionalized. Institutionalising something as amorphous like EDSA is like describing air or wind. How can you describe a feeling, a collective sigh, a national dighay, so to speak?