Enrile owes long life to People Power in 1986, says Saguisag

Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile would not have reached the ripe old age of 94 if not for the people who protected him and members of the Reform the Armed Forces of the Philippines Movement in February 1986, former Senator Rene Saguisag said on Monday.

Saguisag was referring to the time when Enrile and then General Fidel Ramos defected from the dictator Ferdinand Marcos and were the protected from the tanks loyalist troops by protesters on EDSA in what is now known as the EDSA People Power Revolution.

The event prompted the Marcoses to flee Malacañang on February 25, 1986 and go into exile in Hawaii.

Enrile earlier claimed in a video posted on the Facebook page of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. that the EDSA Revolution turned out to be the bloodless revolution that it was because Marcos did not order the soldiers to shoot at the protesters.

The former senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong is the son and namesake of the late dictator Marcos.

“Naging ganun [ang sinabi ni Marcos] dahil alam niya na hindi kayang barilin ng mga sundalo ang kanilang mga kapatid at kamag-anak sa EDSA. Kung hindi dahil sa mga tao, 'yang sina Enrile, tepok na sila roon,” Saguisag said in a phone interview with GMA News Online.

At that time, Enrile was serving as the Defense Minister of sitting President Ferdinand Marcos.

“Soldiers cannot fire a shot against the countless families ready to die for their motherland. If not for the people, na barbeque na sina Enrile at General [Fabian] Ver. Kaya nga People Power Revolution ang tawag eh. Hindi Enrile Power, hindi RAM Power. Hindi dahil sa kanila 'yun. They (Enrile and RAM) were trapped, until they were rescued by the people,” Saguisag added.

The bloodless People Power Revolution eventually forced the Marcos and his family to flee Malacañang and catapulted Corazon Aquino to the Presidency. —NB, GMA News