, Research Paper

The Filipino People s Power Revolution

The revolution of the Philippines is a narrative about an economically hapless authorities ; a destitute state ; and a corrupt dictators about bloodless throw outing. The revolution is cardinal in understanding the current province of the state, every bit good as exhibiting factors that have led to the states current economical province. While the events taking up to the revolution are by no agencies entirely responsible for the poorness of the Philippines, the state is still retrieving from the effects of the incidents predating the revolution. The Filipino revolution is structurally similar to many of the universe s past revolutions. While all revolutions are fought for different causes and have different results, about every revolution fits the form defined by Crane Briton. The Philippines revolution applies to the lineation given in Crane Briton s Patterns of Revolution.

The Peoples Power Revolution of the Philippines takes topographic point because of the authorities fails to run into the demands of its people. In 1972 the Dictator of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, lead his state into economic pandemonium through his declaration of soldierly jurisprudence. He crushed his resistance under the soldierly jurisprudence by collaring about 30,000 of his oppositions. These people ranged from being his political challengers to media newsmans and other militants. He confiscated arms, shut down newspapers, and found other ways of curtailing the freedoms of his people. He closed Congress, and assumed all legislative power. At first many people approved of the establishment of soldierly jurisprudence as they saw it as a manner to stop the increasing sums of force in their metropoliss. Marcos wrote a new Constitution, which allowed him to remain in office for an infinite sum of six-year footings. Marcos goes on to stop soldierly jurisprudence because he wants to acquire on the good side of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Although the terminal of soldierly jurisprudence does non intend the terminal of any new Torahs or edicts passed during its period, it does let Benigno Aquino, one of the many political challengers exiled during the period of soldierly jurisprudence, to reenter the state. Aquino is assassinated every bit shortly as he gets off of the plane in the Philippines. While this blackwash is non good publicized because of Marcos s media silence, Aquino s funeral serves as an event to unify the people of the Philippines. About two million grievers attend the funeral of Marcos s political opposition. This is the largest protest in the history of the Philippines, during which many people recognized the adversities that Marcos s regulation had brought to their people. With the broad distributing mass of people against Marcos, there were eventually the Numberss needed for a rebellion, but the revolutionaries were still losing a important component, a leader. They found their leader in the widow of Benign Aquino, Cardinal Jaime Sin, and the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church was basically against Marcos s government of soldierly jurisprudence. Cardinal Jaime Sin led the church to taking the place of critical coaction in the affair of the Filipino dictator, intending that they would knock Marcos s principals, but were non wholly against him. This was of import because it allowed the Catholic Church to be vocal in differing with Marcos s doctrine and Marcos allowed the church to stay in his state. Cardinal Sin broadcast his message across a Catholic Radio station, and over clip this station became the voice for the revolutionary. Cardinal Sin urged the people to take to the streets and assist the Rebel forces. Another group that supported the revolution was the Reform the Armed Forces Movement ( RAM ) group. They fought for the Restoration of the pre-martial jurisprudence society. Still non everyone was cognizant of the demand for a revolution and it took an economic crisis to open the eyes of the uninformed.

The Assassination of Benigno Aquino brought economic crisis to the Philippines. His decease caused people to lose their assurance in the Filipino market, and led to the death of foreign investing. Capital was go forthing the state at a rate of 12 million US dollars per twenty-four hours. The Central Bank of the Philippines was no longer able to do payments on their 26 billio

n-dollar debt. When it was discovered that the Government and state had gone bankrupt the peso ( Filipino currency ) suffered an instant 21 % devaluation. In 1984 the economic system had decreased about 7 % since the old twelvemonth, and it lost another 3.8 % the undermentioned twelvemonth. Peoples in the upper category who were involved in banking and other financially watchful professions rapidly saw the upseting destiny of their economic system and vocally protested Marcos s absolutism. Although the people populating in a rural country were non as aware of the economic jobs as those populating in a the metropolitan country, they were non immune from the effects of the devaluation of the Filipino currency. Over clip the people realized that Marcos s absolutism was destructing their economic system, and deiced that they needed a alteration.

Marcos spontaneously choose to keep a new election in the center of his term, trusting that it would reconstruct people s religion in his authorities. His competition, Corazon Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino, fought for a just election. She initiated a group called National Movement for Free Elections ( NAMFREL ) , whose occupation was to protect the concert dance boxes from fiddling and to number the ballots. NAMFREL declared Cory Aquino as the victor of the election while Marcos s Commission on Elections ( COMELEC ) acknowledged him the victor. The COMELC was the lone functionary count, and even though they declared Marcos the master, computing machine operators from COMELC said that the proclaimed consequences were non the same as the consequences that they had tallied. The rigged election showed the Filipino population the true corruptness of their leader and pushed them to the point of revolution.

The People s Power revolution was genuinely a revolution of the people in that they had no professional ground forces, but consisted chiefly of common people. These people included priests, nuns, labours, and even kids along with the little group of Rebels. Many of the authorities military personnels would non assail their ain people and shortly announced their support for the revolution. The revolution ended with really small force and Marcos, after seeing that his ground forces and his people were all against him resigned, and was subsequently exiled to the United States. Through this revolution, Corazon Aquino became the moderate leader as the 7th President of the Republic of the Philippines. Although originally seen as a hebdomad homemaker, Aquino proved that she was a strong leader by defying an attempted counter-revolution. The really same RAM group that had been against Marcos in the original revolution makes the effort at counter-revolution. They did non experience that Aquino had achieved the ends that she had set out to accomplish. They gave Aquino small opportunity to repair the incorrect behaviors of Marcos s government. RAM did non understand that it would take clip for the Philippines to turn into a comfortable state. Aquino would subsequently turn out herself once more by conveying her state back to a province of stableness.

By reinstating the basic civil autonomies of her people, and through the confirmation of a new fundamental law Aquino set her state on a way to stableness. She illustrated the ideals of the revolution by restoring the rights of the people, and finally reconstructing democracy to the Philippines. Her replacement, Fidel Ramos worked to regenerate the economic system of the Philippines. Because of the new fundamental law, he was merely allowed one term of presidential term, even though he was greatly appreciated by his state. He could hold amended the fundamental law to let himself a 2nd term, but he believed the fundamental law was to immature to be amended. After two great leaders, the hereafter of the Philippines now looks bright, and they have the opportunity to retrieve from the negative effects of the events that led to revolution.

The People s Power revolution about cleanly follows the Patterns of Revolution. Although the Filipino revolution did non hold an radical reaction, it still should be considered a echt revolution because it follows every other facet outlined By Crane Briton, in a precise order, and does non go forth anything else out. The People s Power revolution was an of import measure in the democratisation of the Philippines. The effects of the revolution are still prevailing in today s Filipino society.