People Power and Christian faith

The Philippine People Power revolution celebrated its 24th anniversary last week. My first experience of People Power happened many years ago in a village before People Power became a non-violent mass mobilization of people that overthrew a dictatorship. Brave civil society groups protesting the oppression of Marcos led by former Senator Agapito "Butz" Aquino, a civil rights activist and co-founder of ATOM (August Twenty-One Movement) took to the streets to block and oppose the tanks and armed battalions of the tyrant Ferdinand Marcos. The Marcos soldiers were ready to attack group of breakaway troops that plotted to overthrow Marcos and take power themselves.

The rebel plot had been discovered by Marcos and they were about to be arrested and probably executed. But the civilians came to prevent their arrest by blocking the trucks and tanks of the military loyal to Marcos. The first time perhaps that civilians risked their lives to defend soldiers who were bunkered down and surrounded in a military camp. Cardinal Jaime Sin, the outspoken prelate was one of the few Church leaders in the Philippines who had the courage and faith to criticize and oppose the dictatorship. He took to the air waves and urged the citizens to join the non-violent street protest.

Soon, nuns, priests, and seminarians were also there with the citizens holding crosses and religious symbols before the tanks, risking there lives and holding back the troops sent to attack the rebel soldiers. The many thousands of citizens that blocked the main highway named EDSA paralyzed the city and effectively stymied the Marcos troops. This led to the withdrawal of the support of United States for Marcos and was the tipping point that brought about his downfall. He fled to Hawaii a few days later. The long dictatorship was over. It was a triumph for non-violent mass mobilization tactics known as People Power.

The tactic of non-violent peaceful mobilization by ordinary people as instrument of social change emerged in the Philippines in the late 1970's during the martial law dictatorship.

When I started to help a squatter village of fisher-folk near the Preda center in Olongapo, the children were getting sick, a few had died. I got two skilled community organizers to help bring the people together to discuss and identify the causes of their social problems. The process bonded them together; uncovered unseen talents and abilities and they discovered their dignity and rights. This empowered them to better their lives. It was dangerous work since the military hit squads were assassinating activists, branding them as communist subversives as they still do today.

The people soon discovered the water was contaminated. They made petitions and negotiations to get a clean water connection from the city, but everything failed until they had a big march and mobilization. They were filled with determination, courage and purpose as they set off on a march to the office of the manager of the water district.

They were inspired too by the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus of Nazareth, when He said they were blessed and they had great dignity as God's people and the Kingdom of God was for them. These initiatives later grew into Basic Christian Communities where Christians were united in their faith to act for justice and help each other and defend human rights.

On the big day of the march to demand their rights to clean water, almost a hundred marched and to their surprise and delight their demands were granted quickly by a humbled official. It was a taste of People Power. Two years later the city mayor decided to demolish the entire village. The community was well organized and resisted and held back the demolition for two full years. In the end it wasn't enough, the Mayor, now a senator and a presidential candidate smashed the village to pieces starting with a surprise dawn raid.

Several years later on EDSA, these small beginnings of People Power had grown to a mighty force. Thousands of little streams had become a roaring river of courage and bravery, the People Power that toppled a tyrant.

Shay Cullen serves the people of The Philippines and is a founder of PREDA.org, an nonprofit dedicated to ending the exploitation of children.