Recollections mark People Power 30th anniversary in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO–Filipinos celebrated the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Uprising in San Francisco last week, remembering the stories of activists who defied the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines and the U.S.

“These narratives are important so we never forget, so that children, my kid including, will know that within their veins runs the blood of heroes and martyrs, who were willing to stand up for truth and justice,” Philippine Consul General Henry Bensurto said in welcome remarks at the Philippine Consulate.
Seattle activist Cindy Domingo recalled the martyrdom of her brother Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, the labor and anti-Marcos activists who were assassinated in 1981.

A federal judge later concluded that Marcos’ operatives were behind the murders conspiracy aimed at silencing two major labor-union-based opponents in the U.S.

Journalist and Inquirer.net columnist Benjamin Pimentel highlighted the sacrifices of young Filipinos who led the fight against the dictatorship after Marcos seized power in 1972.

A new documentary about one family’s struggles during martial law capped the evening with the screening of “My Revolutionary Mother” by filmmaker Jethro Cuenca.

The Philippine Consulate will hold another EDSA@30 gathering on February 25, at 6 p.m. in the Kalayaan Hall. The celebration will feature an exhibit of photos from the 1986 uprising by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Kim Komenich.
Like us on Facebook