CHANGED / GROUP SCORES CONFETTI MESS
MANILA, FEBRUARY 26, 2012 (STANDARD) by Maricel Cruz = THE claims
that new opportunities and prospects for a bright future were opened after the
People Power Revolution ended autocratic rule 26 years ago today have elicited
questions from people from all walks of life.
"We were full of hope, but nothing has changed for the past 26 years except
that the population has grown to almost 100 million and the majority are still
poor," said Ramon Gallano, 50, a native of Antique who was 10 years old when the
four-day EDSA protest broke out on Feb. 22, 1986.
"Cory Aquino took over from Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, and her son, Noynoy, is
now President, so what else is new? EDSA is only for politicians and their
minions, the elite and the big businessmen," Galano said.
Organizers have prepared a program to mark the revolution's 26th anniversary
at the People Power monument where hundreds of thousands of people gathered in
1986 to call for an end to the Marcos dictatorship. President Benigno Aquino III
will lead the celebration together with former President Fidel Ramos, one of the
principal figures in the revolt.
But the euphoria that swept the country after Marcos fled to exile in Hawaii
in 1986 has given way to skepticism and indifference. Many young people consider
EDSA a remote part of history and its meaning to them is unclear.
Michael Padua, a 21-year-old nursing student, said he could not relate to
what Corazon Aquino was fighting for in 1986 because "there was unity then and I
don't see the unity in the present administration."
"EDSA is just a thing of the past. There is no more excitement," said 23-year
old student Lei Charmaine Uson.
Senators gave inconclusive answers on the EDSA revolt. Several said they were
too young to fully grasp its meaning.
Asked what he was doing when the revolt broke out, Senator Antonio Trillanes
said: "I was just 14 years old then and I was busy growing up as a teenager."
Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, who was a law student at the University of the
Philippines then, said he monitored the events by listening to the radio.
But Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator, said the events
were still vivid because he was in Malacañang in the middle of the swirling
events that made the Philippines the center of world attention.
"I'm afraid my answer is not on such a light note," Marcos told the Manila
Standard.
"I was in Malacañang preparing the defense of the Palace. I was 28 years old.
I was making sure the Palace grounds were secure and communication lines were
open between my dad and his commanders and political leaders."
At the House of Representatives, the younger members claim their memory of
the EDSA revolt were hazy. The older ones said the uprising provided lessons
that should be learned.
House Minority Leader and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said the heroism of
Senator President Juan Ponce Enrile and former President Fidel Ramos should
never be forgotten.
"We had EDSA1, EDSA 2, and EDSA 3. We should learn our lessons from these
events," he said.
Party-list Rep. Sherwin Tugna of the Citizens Battle Against Corruption said
the EDSA revolt proved that one-man rule never worked despite the ruler's good
intentions.
"Democracy despite its flaws and hardships is the way to go because there is
due process and there is a system of checks and balances," Tugna said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, a prisoner during the Marcos dictatorship,
said Marcos was booted out but the "system of repression and exploitation was
never dismantled."
"While the restrictions on the media were liberalized and the elections were
no longer dictated by the KBL [Kilusang Bagong Lipunan], Marcos' ruling party,
the military remained powerful and it led to more human rights violations,"
Colmenares said.
But Lt. Col Samuel Sagun, commander of the 7th Relations Group of the Civil
Relations Service of the Armed Forces, said the EDSA experience rekindled the
unity of the Filipino people and the Armed Forces. With
Joyce Pañares, Gigi Muñoz-David, Rio N. Araja, John Concepcion and Florante S.
Solmerin
FROM GMA NETWORK
Group scores confetti shower at EDSA rites
February 25, 2012 3:15pm
[PHOTO = YELLOW CONFETTI]
An ecological group called Saturday for an end to the practice of showering
confetti at public celebrations, after seeing the mess left in the wake of the
26th anniversary of the EDSA-1 People Power revolt.
EcoWaste Coalition lamented heaps of yellow confetti were left at the rites
held at the People Power Monument and surrounding areas.
"The confetti shower has become so behind the times and inappropriate as the
nation puts up with the real effects of garbage and pollution, especially in
Metro Manila," said Manny Calonzo of the EcoWaste Coalition.
He said they felt bad for the street cleaners who had a hard time sweeping up
the area for confetti under the hot sun.
Also, he said authorities should have not spent for confetti and for the use
of the helicopter that dropped it on the crowd.
"The non-use of confetti in future celebrations will not in any degree lessen
the meaning and purpose of People Power," he added.
On the other hand, the group scored the Styrofoam food containers left on the
streets by some of the event participants and volunteers.
"These polystyrene food containers pose serious garbage disposal problems,"
Calonzo said.
He said such containers are not biodegradable, take up much space in
dumpsites and landfills and, like plastic bags, can choke waterways.
Worse, he said such items can persist in the environment for a long time.
Toxic 'People Power' souvenirs
Earlier, the group said traces of brain-damaging lead have been found in some
souvenirs being sold for the 26th anniversary of the EDSA-1 revolution.
It said it found the traces of lead from souvenirs bought from the
Filipiniana sections of major retail stores in malls along Epifanio delos Santos
Avenue (EDSA).
"While these products were not strictly designed for children, it is possible
for these items to get into the hands and mouths of kids if within their reach,"
said Anthony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition's Project Protect.
EcoWaste said it bought the samples and had them analyzed last Feb. 23
through an X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer. The items examined included
commemorative jewelry, rosaries, reflective car stickers, coffee mugs and tote
bags.
Among its findings were:
- a "yellow eyeglasses" pin contained 13,100 parts per million (ppm) of lead
- a "yellow ribbon" pin had 8,566 ppm of lead - a yellow ribbon pendant of a
necklace had 731 ppm of lead.
EcoWaste voiced fears children could play with these attractive
yellow-painted items.
"We need to protect children who are most vulnerable to toxic exposure.
Celebrating People Power should not in any way damage our children's brain,"
Dizon said.
The group also said the "L" sign flashed by the then opposition symbolizing
the "Laban" party should now symbolize the fight to eliminate "lead."
Citing information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the group said
lead absorbed by the fetus can cause difficulties during pregnancy, including
miscarriage, premature birth or low birth-weight.
While not as at risk as children to severe effects, lead exposure in adults
can cause problems in the reproductive, nervous, cardiovascular and digestive
systems.
EcoWaste said the WHO has further warned that "there is no known safe blood
lead level but it is known that, as lead exposure increases, the range and
severity of symptoms and effects also increases." — LBG, GMA
News
Brain-damaging chemical found in "People Power" souvenirs
February 25, 2012 11:43 am
A watchdog tracking harmful chemicals in consumer products
had detected high levels of lead, a potent toxin that attacks the brain, in some
souvenir items celebrating the triumph of "People Power."
The EcoWaste Coalition made the revelation on the eve of the 26th anniversary
of "People Power Revolution" in 1986 that restored democracy in the country.
The group bought souvenirs from the Filipiniana sections of major retail
stores in shopping malls located along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, or EDSA,
the center of people's upheavals that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.
Among the samples analyzed on Feb. 23 through an X-Ray Fluorescence
spectrometer were commemorative jewelry, rosary, reflective car sticker, coffee
mug and tote bags.
A yellow eyeglasses' pin was found to contain 13,100 parts per million (ppm)
of lead, while the yellow ribbon pin had 8,566 ppm of lead and a yellow ribbon
pendant of a necklace had 731 ppm of lead. All these items were made of metal
alloys.
"While these products were not strictly designed for children, it is possible
for these items to get into the hands and mouths of kids if within their reach,"
explained Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition's Project Protect.
Because of the probability that children could play with these attractive
yellow-painted items, the group used as reference the regulatory limit of 100
ppm for lead in children's jewelry under the US Consumer Product Safety
Improvement Act of 2008.
"We need to protect children who are most vulnerable to toxic exposure.
Celebrating People Power should not in any way damage our children's brain," he
said.
During the political upheavals in the 1980s, Dizon recalled that the people
flashed the "L" (for "Laban" or fight) sign with the index finger and thumb as a
symbol of resistance against the dictatorship.
"It seems that the famous 'L' sign has now assumed a new meaning: fight to
eliminate'lead' in paints and consumer products," he said.
"The time has come for the people to wage and win another fight. This time
it's the fight against insidious chemicals such as lead that threaten the health
of the society, including those yet to be born," he said.
Fetuses, young children, workers and women of child-bearing age are most
susceptible to the effects of lead exposure and poisoning, the EcoWaste
Coalition said.
Citing information from the World Health Organization (WHO), the group said
that lead absorbed by the fetus can cause difficulties during pregnancy,
including miscarriage, premature birth or low birth-weight.
While not as at risk as children to severe effects, lead exposure in adults
can cause problems in the reproductive, nervous, cardiovascular and digestive
systems.
The WHO has further warned that "there is no known safe blood lead level but
it is known that, as lead exposure increases, the range and severity of symptoms
and effects also increases." (PNA) RMA/PR/mec
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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