On the 39th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power uprising, revolutionary groups reaffirmed that the struggle for genuine freedom and democracy in the Philippines remains unfinished. Both the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) issued statements marking the occasion, calling on Filipinos to draw lessons from EDSA and push for deeper systemic change.

Elias Dipasupil, NDFP Secretary General, criticized how successive administrations have hollowed out the gains of the uprising. While the mass mobilization of millions successfully toppled the Marcos dictatorship, Dipasupil emphasized that the core issues of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism remain deeply entrenched. He called for a genuine social revolution, arguing that only a complete break from the oppressive system can achieve lasting change.

“The gains of the EDSA People Power will be realized only by bringing the uprising to its revolutionary conclusion. Succeeding regimes have sought to trivialize, coopt, and bastardize this definitive occasion of February 1986 when millions of Filipino people united to topple the fascist Marcos dictatorship,” said Dipasupil.

The CPP echoed this sentiment, stressing that while EDSA ousted a dictator, it failed to dismantle the semi-colonial and semi-feudal system that breeds poverty, injustice, and political repression.

“The Party joins the commemoration of the 1986 EDSA uprising not only to remind ourselves of our history, but also to amplify the call to heighten the people’s resistance against the Marcos puppet and fascist regime. The Party vows to continue to mobilize and organize the masses to unite and wage resistance against the regime’s fascist policies, defend their democratic rights and fight for their urgent demands amid worsening crisis,” the CPP said.

The party honored the Filipino people’s revolutionary spirit but warned against the ruling classes’ attempts to manipulate the historical narrative for their own ends. The CPP further noted that recent years have seen intensified state repression, worsening economic conditions, and efforts to revise history to rehabilitate the Marcos name.

Both groups urged the Filipino people to carry forward the militant spirit of EDSA—not merely as a moment of peaceful protest but as an expression of revolutionary struggle. They called for collective resistance against oppression and a renewed commitment to genuine national democracy and social liberation.

As the country remembers the 1986 uprising, these statements serve as a challenge to move beyond commemorations and toward meaningful action to complete the aspirations of People Power.