The Chronicle of EDSA II

The EDSA Revolution of 2001 OR EDSA II, also called by the local media as EDSA II (pronounced as EDSA Dos or EDSA 2) or the Second People Power Revolution, is the common name of the four-day popular revolution that peacefully overthrew former president Estarda from January 17 - 20, 2001. He was succeeded by his then vice president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Ocotber 04, 2001. Ilocos Sur Governor Chaivt Singson, a longtime friend of Estrada went public with accusations that Estrada, his family and friends received millions of pesos from operations of the illegal numbers game,jeuteng. What follows is a string of protests calling for the resignation of the President Joseph Estrada. Later, on January 20, 2001 Estrada and his family leave Malacañang Palace, smiling and waving to reporters and shaking hands with the remaining members of his Cabinet and other palace employees. He was placed under house arrest and eventually confined to his rest home in Sampaloc, a small village in Tanay, Rizal. The story however can be told in four different manners following Hayden’s White Metahistory and the use of emplotment.

ROMANCE

The story of EDSA 2 is the struggle of the many people who fought for the resignation of President Estrada. These were the 10 senators who tried to fought for it. A The day-to-day trial was covered on live Philippine television and received the highest viewing rating at the time. Another hero would be Clarissa OCampo, an ordinary person who tried to testify against the president and exposed herself to the dangers of assassination and being thrown out of jail for false accusation of the court is not going to side on her. Among the highlights of the trial was the testimony of Clarissa Ocampo, senior vice president of Equitable PCI Bank who testified that she was one foot away from Estrada when he signed the name "Jose Velarde" documents involving a P500 million investment agreement with their bank in February 2000.


TRAGEDY

The story of EDSA 2 is a tragedy. The country faced the greatest battle after the revolution and that is to resolve the conflict that divided the nation. Those who call for the resignation are faced with the challenge of proving that president Estrada is guilty of treason and the other charges against him. On the other hand, the pro-Estrada people marched the streets and held protests against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The country then faced the tumultuous task of battling the effects of the revolt. What followed is more protest and the economy of the country was affected by it. Though foreign nations, including the United States immediately expressed recognition of the legitimacy of Arroyo's presidency, foreign commentators described the revolt as "a defeat for due process of law. The Pro-Estrada blamed EDSA 2 of having "inflicted a dent on Philippine democracy".


COMEDY


Former president Joseph Estrada has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of plunder by the Sandiganbayan and has been sentenced to life imprisonment. At the same time, the anti-graft court ordered the freezing of Estrada’s accounts estimated at $87 million. Fears that a guilty verdict could trigger widespread street protests and possible riots in Manila seemed misplaced. Pro-Estrada activists staged scattered low-key demonstrations in the city of 12 million people but all were peaceful. The crowd was far smaller than the thousands predicted and riot police sent to guard against them snacked and chatted. Some sat down, their shields by their sides. But after being in detention for six and a half years, Estrada who is now 70, was granted an executive pardon by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday, just a month after he was sentenced to life imprisonment for abuse of power and plunder. In her decree, the president said Estrada was freed under the current administration's policy of releasing prisoners who had reached the age of 70. The six and a half years that he had already spent in detention during the trial was also taken into consideration.



SATIRE


The EDSA revolution is satirical because the heroes failed in their futile attempt to achieve what the preceding era failed according to their criteria. The country at the moment is facing the hardest times. We are faced with economic crisis that no matter what policy the hero, the current president, is doing it proved to not work that much. Estrada was charged with perjury but the country has been on the list of the most corrupt nations in Asia even after the so-called corrupt officials were gone. The country has been trying hard enough to move away from cronyism and the claws of dictatorship but we have our officials who might as well represent the traditional politicians of the past. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo failed in her attempt to win over the masses which had supported Estrada’s administration.

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Sources:

White, H. (1973). Metahistory: The historical imagination in nineteenth-century Europe. B

altimore: John Hopkins University.

EDSA Revolution. Retrieved October 20, 2008 from http://www.wikipedia.com/edsa 2