AS THE country commemorates the 37th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday, February 25, 2023, offered a “hand of reconciliation” to those “with different political persuasions.”

Marcos Jr. said he shares the nation’s collective memory of the “times of tribulation” and recognizes how it fostered a sense of unity among Filipinos.

“As we look back to a time in our history that divided the Filipino people, I am one with the nation in remembering those times of tribulation and how we came out of them united and stronger as a nation,” Marcos Jr. said.

The President also urged everyone to come together in building a better nation.

“I once again offer my hand of reconciliation to those with different political persuasions to come together as one in forging a better society — one that will pursue progress and peace and a better life for all Filipinos,” Marcos Jr. said.

The President’s father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was ousted from his post as the country’s top executive on February 25, 1986, after two decades of rule.

Millions of Filipinos led by opposition figures and religious leaders took to the streets of Manila and several key cities in the Philippines to peacefully protest against the Marcos patriarch, who declared martial law in 1972.

Marcos Jr. recently drew controversy as he moved the holiday observance of Edsa to February 24, 2023, and declared it as a special non-working holiday, with some critics calling the move the beginning of “historical revisionism.” (SunStar Philippines)