26/02/2026
EDSA was not powered by weapons, but by the will of the Filipino people.
With Proclamation No. 1081, Ferdinand Marcos imposes martial law on September 21, 1972. Opposition leaders were taken into custody, Congress was abolished, and the media was shut down.
Upon returning from exile to the Philippines on August 21, 1983, Benigno Aquino Jr. is assassinated at the Manila International Airport, intensifying outrage among the Filipino people against the Marcos regime.
The economy declines, the Philippine peso weakens, and foreign debt surges.
Under pressure from the United States and local opposition, Marcos announces a snap election.
On February 7, 1986, the candidates were Ferdinand Marcos (KBL) and Corazon Aquino (UNIDO coalition). After the election, two official tallies emerge.
COMELEC declares Marcos the winner.
NAMFREL, an independent watchdog, count shows Aquino leading.
On February 9, 1986, 35 COMELEC computer technicians walk out, alleging manipulation of election results.
The Batasang Pambansa proclaims Marcos the winner. However, Aquino rejects the results and calls for civil disobedience.
Political legitimacy collapses.
On February 22, 1986, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and AFP Vice Chief of Staff Fidel V. Ramos withdraw support from Marcos, barricading themselves inside Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame.
Through Radio Veritas, Jaime Cardinal Sin calls on civilians to protect the rebel forces, and by evening, thousands gather along EDSA.
Marcos orders loyalist troops and tanks to attack the rebel camps but is unable to proceed due to civilians blocking military vehicles with their bodies. Many kneel, pray, and offer food to soldiers. Crowds grow to hundreds of thousands.
On February 24, 1986, the government media station Channel 4 is taken over by reformist forces.
Marcos holds a televised press conference claiming control. International media coverage intensifies. U.S. officials begin urging Marcos to step down.
On this day, civilian presence on EDSA reaches over one million by some estimates.
On February 25, 1986, two inaugurations occur. Ferdinand Marcos takes his oath at Malacaรฑang Palace, while Corazon Aquino takes her oath at Club Filipino in San Juan.
Later that evening, U.S. helicopters transport Marcos, his family, and close allies from Malacaรฑang to Clark Air Base, and they are flown into exile in Hawai'i.
