MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte broke her long silence on the annual Edsa People Power commemoration a day before its 40th anniversary, suggesting that the public may have forgotten the “essence” of the historic 1986 uprising that ended the two-decade rule of Ferdinand Marcos.
Speaking to reporters in Iligan City, Duterte said organizers and participants of the upcoming events “do not truly know” what the spirit of Edsa really is. “The people may have forgotten what the essence of the 1986 Edsa Revolution is,” she said in Filipino.
Civil society groups and the Catholic Church are leading the 40th-anniversary events, including a march from Edsa Shrine to the Edsa People Power Monument. The commemoration coincides with the third Trillion Peso March, which calls for accountability of officials involved in alleged massive corruption in government-funded infrastructure projects. Some groups are also pushing for discussions on the potential impeachment of both the President and Vice President.
Duterte’s remarks come after years of remaining publicly silent on the Edsa anniversary. In 2024, her office briefly posted a message honoring the “brave souls who stood united… fighting for democracy and freedom” on Facebook for the 38th anniversary, only to take it down hours later. Since taking office in 2022, Duterte has not issued any official statements marking the commemoration.
