An umbrella organization of Catholic schools, colleges and universities reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that the lessons of the 1986 People Power uprising continue to shape students’ education and moral formation.
“The 1986 EDSA People Power revolution shall always be a constitutive dimension of learning of our students,” the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) said. “Philippine and Catholic education shall never be without it.”
It made the statement as it encouraged its 1,525 member-schools to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the historic event on Feb. 25.
Several groups earlier accused the Marcos government of “downgrading” commemoration to a special working day.
“CEAP shall push back all attempts to deny, distort, downgrade, and devalue it in our schools, in our communities, and in our life as a nation,” it said.
The organization urged Catholic schools to adopt creative ways to celebrate the anniversary of the event that ousted the 14-year-long dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“CEAP schools, therefore, recommit to the EDSA spirit. We shall be courageous, creative, and community-centered in our celebration,” it said.
“The EDSA spirit is a shining moment in our life and history as a people. It showed the world what is best in the Filipino, how we can transcend ourselves and sacrifice for our country, how we choose peace over violence,” CEAP added.
Some Catholic schools have announced class suspension on Feb. 25 to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.
