EDSA Joyride

Who had experienced a EDSA joyride? Seems ridiculous question right? Who would have the ‘joy’ of everyday experience when passing EDSA now?  But I know many people since 1986 until now enjoying the EDSA Joyride.

I used to playback my old-school track records and came up with this powerful song written by Dong Abay in 1993. “Nakita kita kahapon may hila-hilang kariton, huminto sa may Robinson, tumanga buong maghapon. Sikat ka noon sa tv kase kasama ka sa rally pero ngayo’y nag-iisang naglalakad sa may Edsa.” What’s going on after People Power in 1986? Noted that the dictator was ousted but were there changes to people’s mind set? Did the Filipino learn the lesson from the past? Was the quality of lives of Filipinos got better? Some says, Edsa Revolution is a failed revolution. Edsa Revolution would better be called Edsa Gathering. Just like a concert, after the event, finish. Take a look at the man depicted in the song. Seems neglected by the people they put up in the political highlight. Still living as street-dweller. The Men and their entourage at the stage of people’s monuments in 1986 are now enjoying the EDSA joyride.

After nearly three decades, three EDSA People Power had been occurred. Undeniably, people are tired of idea of people power, not because of how history passing through but the hope it promised and then resulted to nothing, because after every People Power, the lives of many Filipinos did not improve. The expectation that after EDSA has a bright future, resolved the problem, history tell it did not occur. A problem in such calling a leader to step down from office is looking at it as a quick fix to a complex problem which is practically ask us a different kind of solution. The effective solution is the smart choice of leader during the election. That's the real people power.