The People Power Revolution (also known as the EDSA Revolution and the Philippine Revolution of 1986) was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that began in 1983 and culminated in 1986. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud. This case of nonviolent revolution led to the toppling of dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the restoration of the country's democracy.
Timeline 1983 August 21 (1 pm) – Senator Benigno S. "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. is assassinated at Manila International Airport in Pasay and Parañaque, Metro Manila. September 21 – As the government celebrates Barangay Day/National Thanksgiving Day to commemorate the declaration of martial law, thousands of Aquino's supporters hold a "National Day of Sorrow" and call for unity in the ranks to topple the Marcos dictatorship.The EDSA Revolution Website September 25 - The Justice for Aquino, Justice for All or JAJA Coalition is created by Sen. Jose W. Diokno through his group (Movement for People's Sovereignty and Democracy) or KAAKBAY, which introduced pressure politics in the Philippines.
1984 May 14 – Elections for the Batasang Pambansa (parliament) are held. The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO) and the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN) coalition decide to take part. Aquino's widow, Corazón, throws her support behind the opposition candidates, who surprise Marcos by winning 56 seats out of the 183 amidst familiar allegations of fraud. October 24 – The Agrava Board, a fact-finding commission tasked with investigating the Aquino assassination, concludes that there was a military conspiracy behind the killing and implicates Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Fabián Ver.
1985 February 22 – General Ver, 24 soldiers, and one civilian stand trial before the Sandiganbayan for the Aquino murder. Ver takes a leave of absence as Armed Forces Chief of Staff. August 13 – Opposition MPs file a motion for impeachment against Marcos in the Batasan, citing culpable violation of the Constitution and "hidden wealth." The majority party quashes the motion. November 3 – Marcos suddenly announces the holding of snap elections after alleged prodding from the United States. December 2 – General Ver and all his co-accused are acquitted by the Sandiganbayan. Marcos reinstates him as Chief of Staff amid widespread protest. December 3 – Corazon Aquino declares her candidacy for president. Salvador Laurel, who earlier wanted to run for the same position, agrees to be her running mate. December 5 – The Opposition makes a formal announcement of the Aquino-Laurel tandem ticket for the snap elections. Religious movement Iglesia ni Cristo endorses Marcos for the presidency.Iglesia ni Cristo: Church at the CrossroadsIglesia ni Cristo, 1986 to 2024Iglesia Ni Cristo endorsements and how the presidential candidates fared in the past elections Others:
1986 February 7 Attempts of fraud, vote-buying, intimidation, and violence are reported and election returns are tampered with. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) tally board shows Marcos leading while the National Citizen's Movement for the Free Elections (NAMFREL) consistently shows Corazon Aquino ahead by a comfortable margin.
February 9 35 computer workers at the COMELEC tabulation centre in the Philippine International Convention Center walk out and seek refuge at the Baclaran Church in Parañaque, protesting the Marcos administration tampering with election results.
February 11 Opposition ex-Governor Evelio Javier of Antique is murdered in front of the provincial capitol where canvassing is being held. Primary suspects are the bodyguards of the local KBL leader.
February 13 The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issues a statement condemning the elections as fraudulent.
February 15 The Batasang Pambansa declares President Ferdinand Marcos and his running mate Arturo Tolentino as the winners of the February 7 elections.
February 16 Around 2 million people gather at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park, Manila to protest the proclamation of Marcos and Tolentino as winners of the February 7 elections. Opposition leader and UNIDO presidential candidate Corazon Aquino calls for nationwide civil disobedience and a boycott of all Marcos crony-owned companies to protest the proclamation.
February 22 12:00 AM: Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and key aides finalize Enrile's speech in which he will proclaim himself head of a ruling junta after rebel troops led by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) assault on Malacañang Palace in Manila. The assault is planned for February 23 at 2:00 AM. 2:00 AM: The final meeting of the RAM at Enrile's house in Dasmariñas Village in Makati before the assault on Malacañang. AFP Chief of Staff Fabian Ver calls in additional units to defend Malacañang. 3:00 AM: The final meeting at the Defense Minister's home is concluded. Lt. Col. Gringo Honasan and Linda Kapunan begin their recoinnaisance of Malacañang. To their dismay, they discover battle-hardened Marines stationed at their main point of attack. 6:30 AM: Maj. Avelino Razon briefs AFP Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Fidel V. Ramos on the developments of RAM's plans. 9:00 AM: Fabian Ver sends Col. Rolando Abadilla to Col. Honasan to inform the latter that their plans have been made known already and that RAM should not make any rash decisions. 10:00 AM: Lt. Col. Honasan phones Kapunan and informs him that they are not going to abort the mission, but to simply "freeze" the operation for the next 24 hours. Honasan reviews the situation and assesses the prepositioning of the troops from his office in GHQAFP Camp Aguinaldo. Corazon Aquino leaves for Cebu City, the second most populous city in the country, to meet with her running mate Salvador Laurel and sell her seven-point program of nonviolent protest including civil disobedience, which is just a week old, as well as to thank the Cebuanos for the 70,000 margin of victory given her “despite the goons of Marcos allies.” 12:00 PM: Philippine Navy Capt. Rex Robles is assigned to act as a liaison with the diplomatic community in case the RAM officers are arrested, and tell the world of their story. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Stephen Bosworth along with Philip Habib, U.S. President Ronald Reagan's personal envoy to Marcos, visit the Palace for a meeting with the President. They discuss the recent elections and the political situation. The U.S. envoys call on Marcos to retire Ver. 12:45 PM: While Marcos' meeting with the U.S. envoys continues, Capt. Ricardo Morales, one of Imelda Marcos' close-in security team who is a mole of RAM in the PSG (Presidential Security Guard), reconnoiters the defenses of the Palace grounds, and takes the initiative to withdraw some firearms from the PSG armory. He is arrested and brought to the office of the Aide-de-camp for interrogation. The other moles are Maj. Saulito Aromin, Lt. Col. Jake Malajacan and Maj. Ricardo Brillantes. 1:45 PM: As the meeting comes to a close, Gen. Ver storms into the Presidential study to convey the news of the recent arrest of four officers in the PSG who are found to be members of RAM. Philip Habib states as he leaves Malacañang, that: "Cory won the election and deserves our support. Marcos is finished, and we ought to offer him asylum in the United States." 2:00 PM: With their plans discovered, Enrile and the RAM officers are forced to change their direction. They decide that they need to draw on public support to ensure their prospects during the crisis. 2:15 PM: Corazon Aquino, at the rally in Cebu, calls for the boycott of Marcos crony-owned business. 3:00 PM: Honasan gives the signal to prepare his men for combat. He, Enrile and Kapunan fly to Aguinaldo in a chopper. 3:30 PM: At Camp Aguinaldo, Enrile's guards bring out brand-new M16 rifles, Uzis and Galils. Enrile orders troop deployments around Camp Crame. 3:45 PM: Enrile contacts to Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Jaime Sin and seeks his moral and active support, as the former feels that he will not survive the day. 4:30 PM: The first military command to defect to the rebel side is Regional Unified Command No. 8, which includes troops in First Lady Imelda Marcos's own province, Leyte. No. 8 is led by Brig. Gen. Salvador Mison who is in Camp Aguinaldo. 5:00 PM: Unaware of unfolding events, Ver and Imelda attend the wedding of a general's son at Villamor Air Base. Ver is stunned when told of the defection. Enrile tells Sin: “I will be dead within one hour. I don’t want to die … If it is possible, do something. I’d still like to live.” 5:00-5:30 PM: Pres. Marcos' first response to the mutiny is to call his family to Malacañang. 6:00 PM: Gen. Ramos arrives at Camp Aguinaldo after a dialogue in his Alabang house with a group called the Cory Crusaders. 6:30 PM: Malacañang receives a "report" that Ramos and Enrile are "officially withdrawing their support" of the Marcos administration. 6:45 PM: Enrile and Ramos, surrounded by their staff and guards, hold a press conference at the Social Hall of the GHQAFP, and make the official announcement of their withdrawal of support of the Marcos administration. Enrile states in his opening that "We are going to die here fighting."[Mr. & Mrs., February 28, 1986] Ramos states "There has become an elite Armed Forces of the Philippines that no longer represents the rank and officers' corps of the Armed Forces. ...The President of 1986 is not the President to whom we dedicated our service. it is clear that he no longer is the able and capable commander-in-chief that we count upon. ... He has put his personal family interest above the interest of the people. We do not consider President Marcos as now being a duly constituted authority."[Malaya, February 23, 1986] Enrile adds: "I cannot in my conscience recognize the President as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and I am appealing to the other members of the Cabinet to heed the will of the people expressed during the last elections. Because in my own region, I know that we cheated in the elections to the extent of 350,000 votes. ... No, I will not serve under Mrs. Aquino even if she is installed as a president. ... Our loyalty is to the Constitution and the country. ... You are welcome to join us. We have no food..."[Ibid.] Ramos closes, "I am not even acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. I think that when he made that announcement to you and to the whole world last Sunday, he was just fooling us, and he was fooling the entire world because he flip-flopped so many times already. ... I would like to appeal to the fair and to the dedicated and people-oriented members of the AFP and the INP to join us in this crusade for better government." 7:00 PM: Corazon Aquino receives the news of the withdrawal of support by Enrile and Ramos. She calls allies in Manila to verify the report. Marcos remains in the Palace study room with Fabian and Irwin Ver, and Information Minister Gregorio Cendaña. 8:15 PM: Gen. Ver orders Brig. Gen. Fidel Singson, Chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), to "Destroy Radio Veritas!" Unbeknown to Ver, Singson is already in the process of defecting to the rebel group. Singson sends his men to Radio Veritas, not to destroy, but only to reconnoiter the area. 8:30 PM: Cardinal Jaime Sin goes on air and calls on the people to "Please, do not be alarmed, stay home." 8:45 PM: The rebel group is taken aback by the Cardinal's announcement and calls him to clarify their request. They ask him to send the people to the AFP camps. 9:00 PM: Cardinal Sin goes on air once more and says "Leave your homes now...I ask you to support Mr. Enrile and Gen. Ramos, give them food if you like, they are our friends."