The 40th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution opened on Wednesday morning, February 25, 2026 with a scene thatโs both ritual and message: a rosary at the EDSA Shrine, followed by a prayer march toward the People Power Monument. The choreography mattersโfaith first, then feet on the streetโbecause this commemoration isnโt being staged as nostalgia. Itโs being used as a live argument about what โPeople Powerโ is supposed to demand in 2026.
The crowd carried the anniversaryโs subtext in placards: accountability, anti-corruption, end the impunity loop. Multiple civil society and church-linked groups joined, including Tindig Pilipinas, Union Theological Seminary, Akbayan Partylist, Partido Manggagawa, and People Power Volunteers for Reformโa coalition mix that signals this isnโt a single-issue rally, but a broad civic alignment pulling the anniversary back to its original language: public pressure as democratic maintenance.
Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Francisco โKikoโ Aquino Dee framed the march as part of the Trillion Peso March Movement, and explicitly connected it to the earlier anti-corruption mobilizations on September 21 and November 30. His point was blunt: even if a few โbig fishโ appear to have been jailedโor may soon beโtoo many still โslip through,โ and the anniversary is being used to keep the pressure on the entire chain, not just the sacrificial names.
Organizers are also treating the day as a turnout test. Dee said theyโre hoping to hit 20,000 to 30,000 participantsโdespite it being a working holidayโaiming to match the November 30 Trillion Peso March scale. The morning program is set to roll into โPanata ng Mamamayanโ at 10 a.m. at the People Power Monument, a pledge-style segment meant to turn commemoration into commitmentโbecause at 40 years, the question isnโt whether People Power was historic. Itโs whether it still has teeth.
Image from Isabelle Pechay/INQUIRER.net