12/05/2026
Once upon a time…. Pwede ba ito ngayon? Magkaisa uli mga PILIPINO…
On the fateful night of January 16, 2001, former senator Francisco "Kit" Tatad — who first earned notoriety for reading Proclamation 1081 in 1972 — made a motion to put into voting the matter of opening the controversial second envelope, during the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada.
The infamous second envelope was perceived to contain incriminating evidence, in the form of bank accounts and transactions, that could indict Estrada further and lead to his conviction and removal from office.
In late 2000, Pinoy Times Special Edition made a projection — that 11 senators would vote in favor of the impeached president. The voting on the night of January 16 proved that: 11 "pro-Estrada" senators did vote to oppose the opening of the second envelope. Those 11 votes, in essence, killed any hope of shedding light on such a primordial piece of evidence against Estrada.
10 senators voted to open it, including the late senator Rene Cayetano and another young senator, Loren Legarda.
After the 11 votes "had it," in the words of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, history was set. Prosecutors walked out. A tearful Loren Legarda hugged Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who resigned from his position as soon as the vote was taken. Rene Cayetano stood behind them. One of the pro-11 senators, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, danced in front of a disenchanted crowd in the Senate's gallery.
Text messages started to be passed around, inviting people to go to EDSA Shrine. An hour later, Jaime Cardinal Sin and Cory Aquino started to call on people to come out, and in huge numbers.
A historic vote that bungled an ongoing impeachment trial, the first in Philippine history, paved the way for what history now calls People Power II.
Last January, we marked the 25th year of EDSA Dos—one month before the country commemorated the 40th anniversary of the first People Power uprising, which ousted the Marcos dictatorship.
May the study of our history continue to infuse important lessons that could guide us in the present.
[📷: "EDSA 2: A Nation in Revolt," Anvil and AsiaPix, 2001]
