The primary lessons of People Power 1, the 18th anniversary of which falls this week, were twofold. The first is that the failure of Philippine political institutions can provoke citizen outrage enough for them to overthrow governments. The second is that vast sectors of the citizenry view human rights as a value worth defending, and even risking their lives for.
People Power 2, and the persistence of rumors of another EDSA, are reminders that, the years since People Power 1 notwithstanding, its first lesson is still as alive today as it was in 1986. On the other hand, the worsening assault on human rights
