By CBCP News
The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), the umbrella organization of Catholic schools, colleges, and universities, has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the lessons of the 1986 People Power Revolution remain a vital part of students’ education and moral formation.
“The 1986 EDSA People Power revolution shall always be a constitutive dimension of learning of our students,” CEAP said in a statement. “Philippine and Catholic education shall never be without it.”
The statement comes as CEAP encourages its 1,525 member-schools to actively commemorate the 39th anniversary of the historic event on February 25. The revolution, which led to the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. after 14 years of dictatorship, remains a significant milestone in the country’s history.
CEAP’s pronouncement follows criticisms from various groups accusing the Marcos government of “downgrading” the commemoration of the event by declaring it a special working day rather than a holiday.
“CEAP shall push back all attempts to deny, distort, downgrade, and devalue it in our schools, in our communities, and in our life as a nation,” the organization affirmed.
The association also urged Catholic schools to find creative and meaningful ways to celebrate the anniversary and keep the spirit of EDSA alive.
“CEAP schools, therefore, recommit to the EDSA spirit. We shall be courageous, creative, and community-centered in our celebration,” it said. “The EDSA spirit is a shining moment in our life and history as a people. It showed the world what is best in the Filipino—how we can transcend ourselves and sacrifice for our country, how we choose peace over violence.”
Several Catholic schools have already announced class suspensions on February 25 to allow students and faculty to commemorate the event.
Society of Jesus' social apostolate 