40 years ago, on February 25th, more than 2 million Filipinos across the Philippines took to the streets and forced the removal of a dictator who controlled the country for more than two decades. Along with them were journalists and citizens armed with cameras who preserved the world’s first-ever nonviolent revolution in film. Iconic photos like Joey De Vera’s ‘pole’s eye view’ of EDSA and the thousands that filled it to the brim, Pete Reyes’ the two nuns kneeling to block the path of a military convoy, and Roger Buendia’s flower girl offering flowers to a soldier became symbols of a revolution that inspired many similar movements across the world. Decades on, the same photos, in color and sepia, fuel those who occupy EDSA on the same day, clamoring for progress and change.
This year started like many others in recent memory. Blue helmets and shields assembled in the morning; opposite to them were banners and placards. As the tensions between the police and protesters increase and decrease throughout the day, the clicks and flashes of cameras could be heard sporadically from seasoned photojournalists, university news photographers, and even hobbyists and amateurs. Some have even covered the commemorations for years, knowing when and where to position themselves in the event of clashes. But unlike the other years, 2026 came at the windfall of a massive national scandal: the Flood Control Corruption Scandal. Prior to the EDSA commemoration, there had been massive protests on a scale never seen before since EDSA. The September 21 Luneta and Trillion Peso protests, the January Iglesia ni Cristo protests, and even the EDSA Motorcade held by pro-Duterte groups had showcased a willingness in the Filipino to protest.
My first coverage of the EDSA revolution commemorations was in 2024 as part of TomasinoWeb, UST’s premier digital media organization. I had been tasked with covering the commemorations along with several other photographers and writers, as the same with many university publications and news organizations. With each year since, I’ve come to cover or attend each commemoration, with the 2026 being my most recent. The messages on the placards and calls being shouted have changed through the years. From protesting against political dynasties to calling for impeachment, the messages adapt to the current national issue and call for change towards policies pushed by their respective groups or organizations’ stances.
But to those who have watched from the sidelines and captured the events and faces fighting for change, has the EDSA commemoration become more than just a rallying cry, or has it become a shadow of what it celebrates?
Three photojournalists who recently covered the 2026 EDSA Anniversary Commemorations at the People Power Monument and the EDSA Shrine lent me their thoughts to answer that exact question.
Kenosis Yap is a freelance photojournalist whose photos have been featured in ZUMA Press, The LaSallian, and the Archer's Network. He has been covering the EDSA anniversary commemorations since 2024.
Victoria Perrote is a freelance photojournalist whose photos have been featured in ZUMA Press and TomasinoWeb. She has also been awarded the Objectifs Documentary Award - Emerging Category. She has been covering the EDSA anniversary commemorations since 2024.
Charisse Suni is the former assistant chief photographer and the current president of Tomasino Web at the University of Santo Tomas. The 2026 EDSA anniversary commemoration is her first coverage.
With the massive demonstrations prior to it looming as a sort of baseline for the February 25th commemorations, the momentum, or whatever was left of it, carried over to the EDSA commemorations. Both the EDSA Shrine and the People Power Monument hosted thousands of participants, dwarfing past commemorations. Yap and Perrote say that the 2026 commemorations exceeded all the commemorations they covered. With both the Shrine and Monument occupied, organizers had a combined estimate of up to 20,000, though police estimates differ.
“In 2026, more people attended the people power anniversary than my previous years of attending. Both the streets of EDSA Shrine and the People Power Monument were with people of different ages, from martial law survivors to the youth.” - Victoria Perrote
The invigorated youth joined voices from the original EDSA revolution as calls for anti-corruption spread across the entire historical avenue. Yap says that the rise in attendees can be attributed, in part, to the work of photojournalists. With more than 81% of Filipinos using social media, one of the highest in the world, photos and videos have been a key driver of the spread of information on social media.
“My photographs that exhibit the calls of the masses are passed on through proper channels and have reached the targets of those calls. It's more of an indicator that the fight is not over and the people have not forgotten what happened in EDSA and what it means for us as Filipinos.” - Kenosis Yap
Despite the nationwide support for these protests, tensions between members of the police and attendees remained as tradition. Small flares of violence occur on occasion as police attempt to herd the participants of the commemoration away from traffic. Suni says that despite the ‘barricading’ by the police, the participants continued with their calls peacefully. Different voices from all sectors attended. Devout Catholics, militant youth, and even survivors of the Marcos regime converged on the two venues as many did decades before.
“Being present at that moment, I saw hundreds of police barricading the people. But that did not stop the people who speak out against corruption and the inhumane treatment of the government towards its citizens.” - Charisse Suni
As shown by the two venues, there exists an ongoing debate on how the question of anti-corruption should be handled, specifically in the context of the ongoing flood control scandal. While calls, placards, and demands are generally the same, stark differences keep supporters from either side separate. Two groups are against corruption but differ on how to approach it. This fracturing of the opposition isn’t only in the commemoration but also across the nation, making it difficult for a so-called “united front”. Perrote calls the split “difficult” and hinders the fight for accountability.
“There is power in collective action, and if that action is divided, it’ll be less powerful.” - Victoria Perrote
“Having different views on EDSA is valid, it's a right - but it comes at a cost, even if it is different, one must not stray away from the facts.” - Kenosis Yap
“It is our autonomy of the will to discern what the real truth is based on real facts, evidence, and credible resources to preserve the true essence of the EDSA Revolution.” - Charisse Suni
Truth differs depending on who you talk to and associate with. The truth often morphs itself to what is appropriate and required of the group or individual that controls the most power. Yet even times like the February 25th EDSA revolution, ultimate power belongs to the people and with that comes along the absolute truth that corruption can be fought. That truth will bring light to expose the corruption even in the darkest of places, and on February 25th, three photojournalists brought that light to the masses.