Edsa

On August 21, 1983, the popular oppositionist senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. (popularly known as "Ninoy") was assassinated at the then-Manila International Airport (now known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA) after returning from a three-year long exile in the United States. His assassination shocked and outraged civilians, most of whom had by then lost confidence in Marcos' leadership. It also shook the Marcos government which was by then deteriorating, in part due to Marcos' worsening and eventually fatal illness. Following this, Ninoy's wife Corazon (popularly known as Cory) became a popular rallying figure against the Marcos regime.

On November 23, 1985, Marcos, after alleged pressure from Washington, suddenly announced that there would be a snap presidential elections early the following year, one year ahead of schedule. This was legalized with the passage of Batas Pambansa Blg. 883 on December 3, 1985. The growing opposition movement fielded Aquino as their presidential candidate, with Salvador Laurel running for vice-president. Marcos himself ran for re-election, with Arturo Tolentino as his running mate.

The elections were held on February 7, 1986. The electoral exercise was marred by widespread reports of violence and tampering of election results. The official election canvasser, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), declared Marcos the victor. The final tally of COMELEC, the official Philippine poll body, had Marcos winning with 10,807,197 votes to Aquino's 9,291,761 votes. The final tally of NAMFREL, an accredited poll watcher, had Marcos winning with 7,835,070 votes to Aquino's 7,053,068 votes.

But due to the reports of fraud, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement condemning the elections, the United States Senate passed a resolution stating the same.

Bibliography

Mercado, Monina Allarey, and Tatad, Francisco S. People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An eyewitness history. Manila, Philippines. The James B. Reuter, S.J., Foundation. 1986.

Baron, Cynthia S. and Suazo, Melba M. Nine Letters: The Story of the 1986 Filipino Revolution. Quezon City, Philippines. Gerardo P. Baron Books. 1986