Being at EDSA for four days , I felt that we were actively participating in the change we were so desperately seeking for .

Did the Marcoses ever do anything good ? Of course ! No one stays in power for 20 years and not manage to do some things right .

But Marcos overstayed . And that was the beginning of the end . When Ninoy Aquino was shot in 1983 , I have never seen my mother cry so hard for someone she hardly knew . For my mom and her generation , Ninoy become the symbol of hope , and when he died , the hope of that generation and mine as well was assassinated along with him . I knew then that times were indeed changing .

Meanwhile , the economy got so bad , we had a WB default and austerity

measures followed . The Forex rate zoomed to 56:1 if I remember correctly , so a Binondo central bank had to be set up to somehow provide businessmen with black market dollars to prop up an import dependent economy . The state corporations and agricultural monopolies were failing .

Then suddenly , the snap elections came like an impossible dream come true . When Doy Laurel finally accepted a subservient role to Cory Aquino , it united the opposition and I thought for the first time , we had a chance at change . People don ’ t appreciate Doy Laurel ’ s decision to slide and give the opposition candidacy to

an inexperienced housewife . I will always remember Doy Laurel for that moment of statesmanship which I can only describe as providential .

I remember that “ sossy ” magazine “ Mr and Ms ” transform into a political opposition publication which everybody started reading . I remember Chino Roces selflessly pushing his kariton full of papers asking for 1 million signatures to convince Cory Aquino to run . I must have signed that petition at least three times because i really wanted her to run .

I tagged along in a few campaign sorties for the LABAN and was a bit intimidated by the preparedness and confidence the KBL teams we

encountered had . My uncle Jess Bustos told me not to worry coz “ their end is near and so they face the final curtain ”. At that time , it was hard to believe . But I do remember that we gave money to the campaign

and even made our own tshirts and posters . Ours looked really bad compared to the KBL but somehow I felt ours mattered more than their professionally made election paraphernalia .

I was working in IGHI when , on what was to be the first day of EDSA 86 , my boss suddenly barged in to announce that people were beginning to mass in front of Camp Crame . I said , “ So , it ’ s another anti-Marcos rally , what else is new ?” But he said , “ No JJ . This one is different .” He then declares the rest of the day off and tells us to please join the people at EDSA . I ’ m glad I decided to go .

Apparently , the night before , Cardinal Sin went on radio to ask the people to go to EDSA and protect the group of Min . Enrile and Gen . Ramos who had defected . It was the Cardinal ’ s call that started EDSA 86 .

It was an electrifying experience . I have never seen so many people , rich and poor , old and young , nuns and housewives , priests and laity come out for a single purpose . The spirit of friendship , inclusivity and camaraderie was awesome . The crowd kept on

getting bigger . And the food just came . Somehow , there were always sandwiches and water popping out of nowhere . Eventually , there was entertainment at night too .

Though I ’ d go home every night , many people just stayed and slept in EDSA . I managed to go back everyday , sometimes with my family , and other times with my friends . It was like we were going to replace those that spent the night so they could go home and wash up .

The place we parked kept getting farther and farther with each passing day . By the last day , we had to park nearer Aurora Blvd . corner Broadway and walked the entire stretch of Ortigas Avenue to get to EDSA . It was okay because hundreds of people around me were doing the same thing . There was no fear in the air . We were all just happy to be there .

For the next four days , we were tuned in to “ Radyo Bandido ” and heard the voice of June Keithly give us the run down on who was defecting and other news as it happened .

When Marcos finally left , I had more than a sense of relief that it was finally over . During those four days , the worst could have happened as

Marcos could have easily ordered the tanks , troops and planes loyal to him to go to EDSA and blast everybody off the streets . Then EDSA would have ended differently . That no attack on EDSA ever came is something I will always give Mr . Marcos credit for .

My EDSA experience changed me as I am sure it changed the lives of so many others who were there . I feel more nationalistic now , having a sense of inclusivity and a deep wanting to change society for the better . For

this reason , I chose to work in the Philippine Senate when it reopened in 1988 and it also shows in my choice of business and the art I collect .

Today , people will compare then and now , how things never changed , even to ask why we still celebrate this event etc . My answer is that you simply had to be there to know why the EDSA People Power is perhaps most significant event in our journey as a Filipino and as a nation .