Philippines: Revolutions · Global Voices
Jose Manuel Tesoro

Jessica Zafra reminds readers why the Philippines 1986 “People Power” Revolt, the 20th anniversary of which is ongoing, was so important, despite the subsequent disappointments and political troubles: “We were the opening salvo in the Big Freedom Blasts that began in the late 1980s and continue into this century. The South Koreans overthrew their dictator. The Berlin Wall fell. The protestors stood up to the tanks at Tiananmen Square. The Soviet Union collapsed. The Czechs had their Velvet Revolution, the Ukrainians their Orange. We did not cause these upheavals— most Pinoys had never even heard of these countries—but we gave them the most powerful ammunition in the world. We gave them Inspiration.”