Seeking Meaning In Memory How the EDSA Revolution of 1986 Influenced the Outcome of the 2010 National Elections

Abstract

Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino could have been elected for a number of reasons, and EDSA1 is attributed to be one of them. If EDSA is considered, however, the entry of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos into the Senate could not be discounted. The question of how intact the remembrance of people about EDSA came to fore. This study delved into the concept of collective memory: of how societies remember and reinterpret the past through symbols and sources that will be carried forth to the new generation. It aimed to find out whether the memory of the first EDSA continued to shape critical dimensions in current political settings, in this case, the 2010 National Elections. To gauge the collective memory of people on EDSA1. the research made use of triangulation of Key Informant Interviews, secondary data, and survey, and then the combination of the same methods to determine if it influenced voter perception of the younger Marcos and Aquino who ran during the national elections. Media, as a fecund transmitter of the values of EDSA1 to the public and in framing the 2010 National Elections, was explored thoroughly. The data resulted in contradictions: how EDSA catapulted a former underdog into the presidency, and how it could have served as a curse to Marcos, and yet did not. EDSA was personified by Cory Aquino, in neglect of the people's genuine uprisings beyond 1986. which was utilized by the Aquino camp last election with the help of media biases. The theoretical foundations set by the study posits that people tend to forget vile events of the past, thus providing a positive outlook for both young Aquino and Marcos, consequently setting them both up for victory.