ATOM Statement: People Power working holiday & the reclaiming of the yellow legacy
Cesar Patrick F. Bonales • Ipinost noong 2026-02-09 11:24:09
PRESS RELEASE
Reclaiming People Power and understanding what yellow means may involve a bit of challenge nowadays. Mahigit sampung taon ba naman tayong pinalunok ng mga kasinungalingan araw-araw tungkol sa kulay na ito, at sa tunay na nangyari noong February 25.
But we believe it is time to reclaim People Power from the lies that were fed to us by the followers of the Marcos dictatorship, not as a partisan slogan, but as a shared civic inheritance.
Noong 1986, hindi lang ito laban ng isang partido. It was students, workers, nuns, priests, business community, soldiers, and families, millions of Filipinos, who gathered on EDSA to say: enough is enough.
What happened on February 22 to 25, 1986, is documented history. According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, millions assembled in largely peaceful protests, leading to the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship and the restoration of democratic governance.
On the night of February 22, 1986, Butz Aquino appealed over Radio Veritas: “Nandito ako sa Camp Aguinaldo... Handa silang lumaban kung sila ay lulusubin. Nandito ako upang hadlangan ang pagdanak ng dugo... Nananawagan ako sa mga kaibigan ko sa ATOM, Bandila at FSDM, magkita-kita tayo sa Isetann sa Cubao. Doon natin pag-usapan kung anong pinakamabuti nating gawin!”
Shortly after that, it was Cardinal Sin's turn to go on air and appeal to the people.
Earlier that day, Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel Ramos announced their break from the regime.
On the night of February 25, 1986, Marcos left Malacañang. The next year, a new Constitution and offspring of the resistance struggle, restored the democratic institutions and civil liberties.
Archival footage, broadcast recordings, and international reporting confirm the scale and nature of the revolution. As CBS News correspondent Bob Simon observed:
“This could be as close as the 20th century has come to the storming of the Bastille… what’s remarkable is how little violence there has been.”
Denying documented events or minimizing verified participation is a revision or distortion.
The Color Yellow
Demonized for so many years. The yellow started first as a protest symbol against the Marcos dictatorship- a symbol of resistance during a dark period in our nation’s history. It represented courage in the face of authoritarian rule, solidarity among ordinary citizens, and the belief that power ultimately belongs to the people.
Yellow only became visible after the 1983 assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., when ribbons meant to welcome him, symbolizing hope and resistance, appeared nationwide. Ninoy never saw them. Taken from the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," which was a hit back then.
Atom, our organization, embraced it as our group's color, symbolizing our resistance and our goals to bring down the dictatorship. It later became associated with the presidential campaign of Corazon Aquino. Because Cory's candidacy is a symbol of resistance as well. She ran even if she knew that Marcos had owned the election game for so many years. You run according to his rules. You run according to who he wants to win in those elections.
Kaya ang dilaw, hindi ito nagsimula na kulay ng isang a political party kaagad. To reduce yellow to mere partisan politics is to erase its historical meaning. It belongs to the people. Panahon na para yakapin muli ng Pilipino at hindi lamang ng ilang grupo ang kulay na ito.
Yellow does not belong to a single organization. Ang dilaw ay simbolo ng resistance. Ang prinsipyo ng demokrasya ang mahalaga. We can show documented evidence that even a lot of people who belong to the left and the right wore yellow ribbons during those times. And wore yellow shirts like "Cory Aquino for President" campaign shirts. During the four days in February, the rebel soldiers tied yellow ribbons around their heads and their guns.
For a New Generation
People Power was not branding.
It was not aesthetic. It was not algorithm-driven.
It was citizens exercising raw courage in real time just when our country needed it.
People Power belongs to the Filipino people. Its meaning is anchored in documented history.
And its spirit remains relevant wherever constitutional order and democratic truth are at risk.
It's the 40th Anniversary of People Power. We should not rely on how this administration wants us to remember this day. Marcos, Jr, is the least person we should listen to on how we should commemorate this day.
For those who have not done so yet, we call on schools to declare a People Power holiday on February 25. Or devote this day on campus to alternative learning about the 1986 Revolution.
We call on all Filipinos to remember and be proud again, because we were looked up to by the rest of the world in 1986!
Let us all embrace that People Power Legacy again! People Power noon at ngayon, tayo pa rin ito!
Latest EDSA busway bust: 20 drivers nailed in Santolan
2026-02-09 • Marijo Farah A. Benitez
Government boosts cancer programs to P2.5B
2026-02-09 • Margret Dianne Fermin
Substandard gadgets seized in Subic raid — refurbished scam exposed?
2026-02-09 • Margret Dianne Fermin
Taho vendor stabbed dead in Navotas — route rivalry, life erased?
2026-02-09 • Margret Dianne Fermin
Lacson confirms Romualdez in Blue Ribbon draft — accountability widened, proof still thin?
2026-02-09 • Margret Dianne Fermin
Rivers overflow in Bicol after days of rain — natural event, man-made risk?
2026-02-09 • Margret Dianne Fermin
Casile Road closed in Canlubang — How do road disruptions affect local communities?
2026-02-09 • Robel A. Almoguerra
DSWD Sec. Gatchalian visits Iligan to assess Typhoon Basyang damage
2026-02-09 • Robel A. Almoguerra
Cavite rally calls for justice as Revilla faces Sandiganbayan hearing — Can public support influence justice in the Revilla case?
2026-02-09 • Robel A. Almoguerra