The People Power Revolution of the Philippines in 1986 was not like any other revolution in history. The problematic issue of this revolution was former President Ferdinand Marcos, who had become a dictator during his twenty year rule over the Philippines. There were a number of people, usually politicians, who opposed Marcos' regime. One politician in particular, Senator Benigno Aquino, played a huge part in the revolution as he became a leader and a symbol of hope amongst the Filipinos during this time. When he was assassinated in 1983, the Filipinos finally decided to come together to oppose Marcos' regime. What makes the People Power Revolution so different from other revolutions is how the public used peaceful protests and actions to take down their dictator. Despite the many chances for Marcos' side to harm others or start something violent, there wasn't any fighting that broke out between the protesters and Marcos' soldiers during the four final days of the revolution. From the beginning to the end of the revolution, the People Power of the protesters prevailed because they took peaceful and nonviolent means of revolting against Marcos.

     Many protesters believed that a “Divine Force” helped to make the People Power Revolution a complete success. With the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) crowded with protesters, Marcos attempted to clear out this street and threatened to hurt those who continued to oppose him. However, the protesters remained unharmed as they prayed together during the last four days of the revolution. Because of their nonviolent and religious endeavors, it was thought that a “Divine Force” was protecting and steering the opposition to victory. As stated in  the book, 25 Years of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution: Silver Linings: “...somewhere in between all dire threats and death-leading situations, few will deny that an unfaltering Divine Force was there, guiding and orchestrating the peaceful revolt to victory” (Velasco, pg. 114). As Velasco suggests, there was definitely a strong belief in the works of God during this time. People believed that the “Divine Force” of God was working to keep the revolution at peace and prevent any violent outbreaks or fights from happening. In the Philippines, the main religion was, and still is, Roman Catholicism. Because of this, it was a common scene for people to pray and believe that they would succeed in overthrowing Marcos. Nuns, priests, and Filipinos also prayed together and in front of Marcos’ soldiers to show that this would be their way of revolting. Many protesters thought that the revolution was meant to be led and won in this way, with the “Divine Force” helping them every step of the way. As a result, it was believed that the protesters’ efforts in praying and putting their faith in God guided them all to success in the revolution.

     Aside from the works of God helping the opposition of the revolution, people made sure to keep the peace within everyone as the crowds increased on the streets of EDSA. Marcos felt the need to send in Marines to remove the crowds of people occupying EDSA. However, when the Marines arrived at EDSA to confront the protesters on Marcos’ orders, there weren’t any fights or violent shootings that took place. According to an article from The Canberra Times:

 

A chanting crowd of up to 20,000 people today blocked tanks driven by soldiers loyal to President Marcos and forced them to retreat from a camp occupied by rebels including Defence Minister, Mr. Juan Enrile, and the Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Fidel Ramos... Marines disembarked from the military vehicles and surrounded the tanks, cocked their automatic rifles, and pointed them at the advancing crowd but did not fire... “Have pity on us. We are also Filipinos,” people in the civilian frontlines said... ("Thousands pour into streets to back rebellion Civilians block tanks.")

 

The scene depicted in this quote shows that there was an opportunity for the shooting and killing of the Filipino protesters crowding EDSA. If the soldiers and tanks sent by Marcos had taken this opportunity, the protesters could have retaliated violently or the revolution could have been extended to more than four days. Fortunately, these soldiers chose to pass on this chance and listened to the crowd’s pleas. The protesters made the effort of pointing out that as Filipinos, they were just like the soldiers who were serving Marcos. To make peace in this moment between the crowds and the soldiers with their tanks, both sides chose to accept that as Filipinos, they were all one and the same.

     At the same time, keeping the peace was enforced by nuns who protected the protesters from Marcos’ soldiers. When Marcos’ soldiers arrived in EDSA on orders to drive the crowds away, they were blocked by the protesters and could not fulfill their orders. The tanks and soldiers there threatened to keep moving forward and even shoot if necessary. However, they were unable to do so when they found nuns leading the crowds of protesters. A reporter of BBC News summarizes this scene:

 

On the afternoon of the protest's second day, the president sent in tanks to clear the street. But the troops refused to fire, prompting one of the most iconic images of the revolution - nuns standing in front of the tanks, offering flowers. (McGeown)

 

Despite the threats and fear of getting hurt, the nuns protected the protesters and remained unafraid. They prayed the rosary and offered flowers to the Marcos’ soldiers, as if to show that they were willing to make and keep the peace for everyone involved in the revolution. The other Filipinos even joined the nuns in prayer and offering various things to the soldiers. Because of the nuns’ actions, the tanks and soldiers could not move forward or harm any of the unarmed protesters. Knowing that they could not target unarmed Filipinos and seeing that the protesters did not want a violent revolution, Marcos’ soldiers turned and left the crowds of EDSA. This “iconic image” of the People Power Revolution shows the effort Filipinos put into protesting peacefully. The nuns brought the Filipinos together in prayer while being able to keep Marcos’ soldiers at bay with their brave yet peaceful actions.

     From the events at EDSA, the soldiers of Marcos were beginning to realize the true cause of the revolution and deciding to defect to help the opposition. After Marcos’ failed attempt to clear the streets of EDSA, he decided to send his soldiers to reach and directly attack a rebel camp. This time, he sent tanks, soldiers, and helicopters to increase his chances of reaching the rebel camp. However, the tides turned when his own soldiers decided that they wouldn’t shoot any unarmed civilians and even defect from Marcos’ regime to side with the protesters of the revolution. In Velasco’s book, one protester recounts this moment:

 

“The choppers hovered to gain altitude and then dove towards Crame. I was expecting machine gun and rocket fire to erupt at any moment. For a while they disappeared from view without a sound; then, suddenly, all of them swooped up again and then dove for a second time. There were no explosions, no gunfire, no smoke. Then someone with a radio yelled, ‘They defected!’ We all sank to our knees to thank the Good Lord. Some were crying with joy.” (Velasco, pg. 153)

 

Hearing that there were soldiers of Marcos beginning to switch sides, people could tell that the revolution was nearing its end soon. Most would think that Marcos had so many soldiers that were going to be loyal to him from beginning to end. Yet that wasn’t the case since many decided to switch over and support the protesters. Even if there were some that didn’t defect completely, there were still soldiers who were beginning to find ways of fulfilling Marcos’ orders peacefully. In a way, the protesters saw this as their increasing chances of finally overthrowing President Marcos.

     Along with nuns praying in front of tanks and soldiers of Marcos defecting, the protesters of the revolution always made sure to protect one another. They always supported each other and worked together to accomplish their goals of the revolution. There wasn’t a moment where the Filipinos were expecting the military of the rebels to protect them or take care of things. Every protester involved in the revolution made it a point to play their part in taking peaceful means to revolt and show Marcos what they really wanted for the Philippines. In an article on Tavann’s website, it’s stated that:

 

With such a significant public display of support, more members of the political and military apparatuses joined the opposition. According to former Philippine Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, ‘It was funny…We in the defense and military organizations who should be protecting the people were being protected by them.’ The mass mobilization efforts forced Marcos to order the army not to use force against protesters, setting the stage for a transition to democracy. ("The People Power Revolution in the Philippines: I Saw No One Yield to Fear.")

 

The revolution was really all about protecting one another since they were all fighting for the same thing. Throughout these four days of the revolution, the protesters prayed, chanted, sang, and cheered together. Their efforts in peacefully revolting reached many of Marcos’ soldiers and even Marcos himself, even if he didn’t want to. Marcos’ soldiers refused to shoot or harm anyone and many defected to the rebel side while Marcos was “forced” to take things less violently as he would have hoped. When things began taking a peaceful turn for the opposition, Filipinos knew that their efforts were paying off and their goal of returning the Philippines to democracy was about to be fulfilled.

     There were so many great feats that set the People Power Revolution apart from other revolutions. Many Filipinos believed that the work of God was an important part of making the revolution successful since prayers and working together as one kept and enforced a sense of peace. The nuns in particular set various nonviolent examples of protest where they stood their ground in front of Marcos’ soldiers, offered flowers to them, and prayed the rosary. People who followed and did the same contributed to the peaceful efforts of the protesters. Even soldiers who decided not to harm anyone or defect were a good contribution to the opposition’s efforts. Ultimately, “the events in the Philippines showed that dictators need not be accepted passively, and that effective alternatives to violent revolts exist. The Filipino people’s brave example to the world may well stimulate new nonviolent freedom struggles elsewhere” (Mercado, pg. 9). Because the Filipinos overthrew their dictator with nonviolent alternatives, they’re set apart from other revolutions in history and can definitely set a “brave example” to other countries around the world in the years to come.

 

"Thousands pour into streets to back rebellion Civilians block tanks." The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) 24 February 1986: 1. Web. 27 January 2015. <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118207436>. This newspaper article from The Canberra Times gives details on the second to the last day of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines. President Marcos has ordered tanks and soldiers to surround the rebels and their camps but no Filipino was harmed. At the same time, many government officials and politicians turned on the regime of Marcos to side with the Cory Aquino, the leader of the revolution. Every Filipino wanted Marcos to surrender and make Cory Aquino their next president. For Cory Aquino herself, she was prepared to advance in the revolution as long as violence of any kind was avoided.

 

McGeown, Kate. "People Power at 25: Long road to Philippine democracy."BBC News. BBC, 25 February 2011. Web. 27 January 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12567320>. The article begins with what happened during the 4 days of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines and includes a video of the night President Marcos fled Malacanang Palace, depicting the public’s joyous reaction to this news. Then the consequences to the Philippines gaining freedom is described. The Philippines has rejoiced and done well in restoring democracy for the years after the revolution ended. "But it hasn't been perfect. We learnt many lessons, and chief among them was that freedom is more difficult and complex than dealing with a dictatorship."

 

Mercado, Monina A. People Power: An Eyewitness History - the Philippine Revolution of 1986. Manila: James B. Reuter, SJ, Foundation, 1987. Print. This book goes through the People Power Revolution in the Philippines of 1986 with brief summaries and the voices of protesters and supporters. The voices, along with the numerous photos throughout the book, help to tell the different sides of the revolution.

 

"The People Power Revolution in the Philippines: I Saw No One Yield to Fear." Tavaana. E-Collaborative for Civic Education, n.d. Web. 27 January 2015. <https://tavaana.org/en/content/people-power-revolution-philippines-i-saw-no-one-yield-fear>. The People Power Revolution is described in detail where it goes over what sparked the revolution, what the goals of the revolution were, the leadership of Cory Aquino, the ending of the revolution, and the aftermath of the revolution.This article gives an objective view on the revolution and has many resources/evidence to support it.

 

Velasco, Melandrew T., Rafael M. Alunan III, and Reynaldo V. Velasco. 25 Years of the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution: Silver Linings. Makati CIty: Ramos Peace and Development Foundation, (RPDEV), 2012. Print. Written 25 years after the People Power Revolution in 1986, Velasco retells the events and accomplishments of the Philippines in detail. This book includes the views of the military who were supporting the opposition and protesters whose stories contribute to the retelling of this revolution.