President Gloria Arroyo is expected to lead Thursday a wreath-laying ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, marking the start of the four-day anniversary of the 21-year old EDSA People Power celebration, a government statement said.
The Filipino leader will lead the flag-raising ceremonies along with Vice President Noli de Castro, former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Corazon Aquino and Armed Forces chief General Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
The commemoration rites have been divided into the Military Day, Youth Day, Religious Day and People’s Day, respectively, to honor the various sectors that played a big hand in the bloodless revolution that toppled the dictatorial 14-year rule of then President Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986.
Day-long activites will follow, among them a jobs fair of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Eucharistic celebration at the EDSA Shrine, basketball games at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium which is free to the public, and fireworks at the Baywalk later in the evening.
The Spirit of EDSA Foundation will present special awards to the Pondo ng Pinoy, Gawad Kalinga and the Overseas Filipino Workers as well as a Mahal Kong Pilipinas Posthumous Award to the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin.
President Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 1224 earlier this year declaring Feb. 22-25 every year as "EDSA People Power Commemoration Week" to perpetuate and propagate the spirit of the historic 1986 event.
Mr. Ramos, who, along with then Defense Secretary, now Senator, Juan Ponce Enrile, broke away from Marcos to trigger the first People’s Power revolt that was widely praised and emulated throughout the world.
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