Duterte’s supporters mocked for copying Philippines’ 1986 ‘people power’ protest

The rally in support of the Duterte family at the EDSA Shrine, the symbolic site of the 1986 uprising, has fizzled out within a week

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A helicopter releases confetti over the People Power monument during the 21st anniversary celebration of the 1986 People Power Revolution in Manila in 2007. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:36pm, 5 Dec 2024Updated: 3:48pm, 5 Dec 2024

Followers of the embattled family of Rodrigo Duterte are trying to oust President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr by adopting a strategy that they have belittled over the years – a peaceful “people power” uprising that toppled Marcos Jnr’s dictator father.

On November 26, Duterte supporters started gathering at the EDSA Shrine, carrying banners calling on Marcos Jnr to resign, chanting their support for the former president’s daughter and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio as they listened to speakers denounce the government.

Located at a major intersection in the heart of Quezon City, the shrine commemorates the 1986 four-day People Power “revolution” on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), where huge peaceful crowds convinced the military to desert Marcos Snr.

The Duterte demonstrators arrived hours after Duterte, who faces International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity, called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to oppose the Marcos Jnr administration.

In an online press conference in Davao City on November 25, Duterte said that given the Philippines’ “fractured governance”, “only the military” could intervene to “correct” the situation.

“How long will you support a drug addict president?” he asked. On social media, pro-Duterte bloggers encouraged the protesters and spread rumours that the military was losing its trust in Marcos Jnr.