If you look at most revolutions in the world, you'll see a heroic figure – a man or a woman who inspired the people to rise and fight for their cause. We have George Washington in the United States, Dr. Jose Rizal in the Philippines, Emiliano Zapata in Mexico and many other heroes punctuating urban squares and national parks with their monuments and statues. Human heroes, flesh and blood incarnates. But what's totally amazing is that in the Philippine Revolution of 1986 which toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the person the Filipino nation elevated to heroic status was not a regular person – it was the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Filipino nation could have chosen Cory Aquino, who was intensely campaigning against Marcos' corruption on the island of Cebu; or Cardinal Jaime Sin, who risked his life using Radio Veritas (the only non-governmental channel) to direct the mass demonstration; or General Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile Sr., who instigated military rebellion. So why did people erect a statue of the Blessed Mother as the heroine of the 1986 EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) Revolution? What was happening on the ground? What did the Blessed Mother actually do?
To understand this unique national phenomenon, you must go back to the scene that unfolded from Feb. 22 to Feb. 25, 1986: an ocean of protestors occupying Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, the main thoroughfare around Manila, holding signs clamoring for freedom and justice. But in this scene, the people are also holding something not found in other countries' demonstrations: statues, images and pictures of the Blessed Mother.
The soldiers who were given the command to fire on the demonstrators saw this and uttered to themselves: "Hey, those people are the children of Mama Mary. I, too, am a son of Mama Mary. Hey, those people are carrying rosaries, praying the rosaries. I, too, have a rosary in my pocket. Hey, those people are singing 'Ave Maria.' I've known that tune since I was 4 years old." A mental conflict shook their heads. A spiritual alarm jarred their souls. It just did not make sense for the soldiers to fire at their fellow Marian brothers and sisters.
Meanwhile, a secondary miracle was happening. There are at least 96 Philippine languages in the Philippines and more than 140 ethno-linguistic groups in the south. The soldier from Pangasinan Province who spoke the Ilocano and Panggalatok languages, upon seeing the image of the Blessed Mother, exclaimed: "That's Mama Mary, Our Lady of Manaoag." The Tagalog soldier from Rizal Province declared: "That's Mama Mary, Our Lady of Antipolo." The Bicolano soldier also recognized the woman as "Ina" (mother) – the term Bicolanos use to address Our Lady of Peñafrancia. And so it went, with Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval de Manila, Our Lady of the Pillar in Zamboanga, Nuestra Virgen de Regla in Lapulapu City, Our Lady of Badoc in Ilocos, Our Lady of Caysasay in Taal, Batangas, Our Lady of Piat in Cagayan Valley, Our Lady of Badoc in Ilocos, the Nuestra Señora de Guia in Ermita, etc.
So when Marcos' central command gave the order to fire on the demonstrators, according to Jesuit Father Nilo Tanalega, the artillery unit made excuses, saying: "Sorry, sir, we cannot get the machine to read the correct coordinates for the target." And, "Sir, something is wrong with our cannon – it's malfunctioning."
In an attempt to manipulate cultural diversity to his advantage, Marcos deviously assigned soldiers from different language groups other than Tagalog, the language of Manila. The object was to prevent ethnic bonding or social bonding by one province native with a co-province native. But the demonstrators, recognizing this tactic, sought beautiful Ibanag women to offer sandwiches and water to Ibanag soldiers; beautiful Visayan women to bring flowers and towel wipes to Visayan soldiers, lovely Bicolana belles to offer snacks and drinks to Bicolano soldiers, etc.
At the end of four unpredictably risky days, the Blessed Mother brought about the first bloodless revolution that became known in the world as "People Power" – a legacy that Filipinos bequeathed to the world. It was also the first Marian Revolution of its kind. Today, the proof of Our Lady's intercession is depicted by a statue of her standing tall at the intersection of Ortigas Avenue and Epifanio de los Santos.
Dr. Cris V. Villapando is director of faith formation programs for the Diocese of Charlotte and active in the Filipino Catholic community in Charlotte. This month marks the 30th anniversary of the EDSA "People Power" Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines.