PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will skip the celebration of the 31st anniversary of Edsa People Power Revolution in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday, according to a program sent to reporters on Wednesday.
Instead of Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, head of the Edsa People Power Commission, will deliver the keynote speech during the event.
Elsewhere, the left-leaning Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said it was not a question of whether the country would hold a simple celebration of the Edsa but whether it would stress the importance of the lessons of the past.
“It is not really a question of whether a commemoration is simple or not. The point of a meaningful commemoration is to appreciate the lessons of the past and use these to guide our actions in the present, said Renato Reyes Jr., the group’s secretary general.
He said the previous regime held grand celebrations but missed out on the real lessons and true heroes of Edsa.
He said the Edsa celebrations of the past focused on one family, one political color and the role of politicians and generals.
“The past celebrations denied the reality that social ills remained the same 30 years after the toppling of the dictator. Previous governments were in fact notorious for suppressing people power, Reyes said.
Duterte flew to Davao City on Tuesday night, and he is expected to stay there until the weekend.
His supporters will gather at the Rizal Park on Feb. 25 for a vigil and rock concert to counter the anti-administration rallies and in support of the President’s campaign against illegal drugs and corruption.
Interior Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing said the gathering at the Quirino Grandstand will focus on the support to the Duterte administration.
Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion III said Tuesday the public should understand if Duterte would not grace the event because he had a hectic schedule.
“If his schedule is busy, he has a reason that he can’t attend. Many people will be attending. The executive secretary will be there,” Concepcion said.
The Palace opted for a “simple and quiet” commemoration of the Edsa revolution, saying it was now time for Filipino people to “move on from just celebrating the past.”
It also decided to hold the Edsa rites in Camp Aguinaldo because “that’s where it all actually began.”
The opposition groups will troop to the People Power Monument on Edsa.