They Can't Even Agree on How to Protest: Opposition Groups Will Hold Separate EDSA 40 Rallies After Unity Talks Collapse
Forty years after millions of Filipinos united on EDSA to topple a dictatorship, the opposition can't even agree on how to commemorate it. Multiple rounds of talks between progressive groups failed to produce a unified rally for the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Wednesday — so they're holding separate demonstrations instead.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) president Renato Reyes confirmed that despite multiple meetings earlier in February, efforts to align with the Trillion Peso March Movement were unsuccessful. The Trillion Peso March, led by Francis Dee — grandson of former President Cory Aquino — will hold its program at the People Power Monument along White Plains Avenue. Bayan, meanwhile, will convene separately at the EDSA Shrine.
The split boils down to messaging. The Trillion Peso March Movement wants to focus on jailing corrupt officials, passing an anti-dynasty law, and pushing anti-corruption reforms. Bayan goes further — they're calling for the resignation of both President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte. That's a much harder pill to swallow for moderate opposition figures.
Adding another wrinkle: the Quezon City government said it won't issue permits for rallies calling for the government's downfall, labeling them potentially "seditious" and "dangerous." QC officials also told Bayan they lack jurisdiction over the EDSA Shrine area, advising them to get permits from Mandaluyong instead. The Trillion Peso March's permit was approved.
Legal scholar Tony La Viña pointed out that existing Philippine jurisprudence doesn't actually require permits for rallies — authorities can only regulate the time, place, and manner of assemblies, not their content. But the optics remain terrible: if the opposition can't unite on the anniversary of the revolution that defined unity, how will they ever present a credible alternative in 2028? Nakakalungkot, honestly.
Source: Rappler / Newsy Today
