February 25th: Filipino Revolution

Today in 1986 Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos had to flee the country. The many shoes of his wife, Imelda, invaded the press of the World, while the widow of Ninoy Aquino, Corazon became the new president of Philippines.

Three years earlier opposition senator Benigno Ninoy Aquino was shot dead when he attempted to re-enter his country. After this assasination, the situation in Phlippines became very unstable: Marcos had lost all credibility and, after all, the late 80s weren't anymore the early 70s when he had arosen to dictatotrial power with full US support in the context of the Vietnam War.


Marcos then pulled the elections ahead. Elections had been held since 1978 but they were sistematically rigged and boycotted by the opposition. This time the opposition, led by Corazon Aquino, run but the vote was rigged anyhow. Both the Church and the USA acknowledged the election rigging and this was the signal for the ousting Marcos.

In February 22nd, the Minister of Defense, Juan Ponce Enrile,  and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Fidel Ramos, gave a press conference announcing their retrieval of support to the aged dictator. Subsequently they entrenched themselves in two military camps at the center of Quezon City, then the capital of the Republic.

They apparently expected an outright attack by the troops loyal to Marcos. But Catholic Church-owned Radio Veritas, the only non-guvernamental media of the Philippines then, broadcasted their press release forcing Marcos to counter-attack in the media, asking them publically "to end this stupidity". This was followed by an appeal, again transmitted by Radio Veritas, to join "one million people" in the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) that connected the two rebel military camps. Cardinal Sin, the Primate of Philippines, made the same appeal hours later. Many people, specially religious ones, seconded the call and went to the EDSA to show their support to the rebels.

In the dawn of 23rd, loyalist troops knocked down the main transmitter of Radio Veritas. But it seems it was too late: hundreds of thousands of people, waving yellow banners an making the "L" sign of Liberty had occupied the EDSA . The Catholic radio continued transmitting but with very limited range. When this resort failed too, they moved to an unknown location broadcasting as Radio Bandido.

In the 24th, the first clash happened. Loyalist troops dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas and attacked one of the rebel camps. Yet some of the supposed attackers, inculding a helicopter squad, joined the rebels instead.

Amidst rumors that Marcos was abandoning the country, he appeared in Channel 4 TV station saying he would not resign... but in the midst of this discourse, the signal went off. Rebel soldiers had captured the station.

People had also returned to the EDSA, accounting now maybe to two million. In the late afternoon, virtually all the army had swapped sides.


Still the riff-raff went on for some more hours. At dawn of the 25th, there was some shooting near Channel 9 TV station. In the morning, Cory Aquino was inugurated as President at the Club Filipino, near the EDSA. Marcos did the same one hour later before hundreds of loyalists at the Presdential Palace of Malaca�ang but, as soon as he had sworn the disputed charge, he had to pack, as rebel troops approached the Palace.


Marcos then phoned US senator Paul Laxalt, asking for advice and he was told to "cut and cut cleanly". At 9:00 pm the Marcos family was evaquated by US troops to Guam and Hawaii.

That night was a party in all Philippines.



Some other events:

• 138 - Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his heir to the Roman Empire
• 1570 - Pope Pius V excommunicates Queen Elizabeth of England, calling for her murder

• 1836 - Samuel Colt recieves the patent for the Colt revolver

• 1921 - The Democratic Republic of Georgia is occupied by the USSR

• 1956 - Nikita Krushev publically denounces Stalin in his speech On the Personality Cult and its Consequences
• 1954 - Gamal Abdul Nasser becomes President of Egypt

• 1994 - Mosque of Abraham Massacre: a Kahanist (religious Zionist fascist) killed 29 people, all Palestinians, leaving 125 other injured. The criminal was beaten to death in situ but the subsequent riots caused the deaths of 9 Israelis and 26 other Palestinians.
  

Full list: Wikipedia.


Edited by Maju

Massacre in Khojali begins by the armenians in 25 feb. 1992:

I thought it was particualrly relevant because it was precisely now when some rumors of military coup have been going around.

Can you tell us something about it 1st hand?