A Facebook post made by the account “Bbm-Sara Movement Montalban” claimed that the EDSA People Power of 1986 was a “failed revolution” as poverty worsened after the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted. The post further asserted that in the coming 2022 elections, people must remember these supposed atrocities allegedly caused by the EDSA People Power.
This is false.
CLAIM:
The ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 1986 worsened poverty in the Philippines
RATING:
FALSE
FACTS:
Although not as fast as other countries in the region, the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that poverty has been reduced from 44.2% in 1985 — a year before the EDSA People Power — to 40.2% in 1988 and 39.9% in 1991, a few years after EDSA.
Due to the neoliberal policies implemented during Martial Law, even before the 1986 People Power, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and GDP per capita has already been falling since 1977. According to the World Bank, GDP growth plunged to a record low of -7.3% in the last two full years of the Marcos administration. The country became more import-dependent as domestic production plummeted.
Additionally, under Marcos, real wages of Filipinos were cut between 1970 and 1975, and this did not increase until after 1986. The real wages of those employed in agriculture plunged 14.3% from P34 in 1965 to P29 in 1986. Wages of low-paying jobs fell by 72.6%, with the value dropping from P84 to P23. Meanwhile, the wages of skilled workers plunged from P113 to P35.
As economic thinktank IBON Foundation notes, the pervasive implementation of “free market” reforms accelerated during the Martial Law years, plunging the country into a severe economic crisis in the waning years of the dictatorship. By the end of the Marcos era, 6 out of 10 families were poor. Further, after the Marcos administration accumulated $28.26 billion in foreign debt by the end of his term, it is estimated that the Filipino people will be paying this until well into 2025.
Marcos’ ouster in 1986 did not stop the implementation of destructive neoliberal policies, as succeeding administrations continued this path despite the clear and present dangers the said policies entailed. What is clear, however, is that historical data prove that the drastic downward economic shift was not caused by the EDSA People Power, but by the very administration it toppled.
WHY IT MATTERS:
As of writing, the post made by the Bbm-Sara Youth Movement – Montalban Facebook group has 140 reactions, 98 comments, and 115 shares. The Facebook group currently has 349 members. — Lyka Naranjo & Philip Mateo
Altermidya Network is part of #FactsFirstPH which brings together various sectors that are committed to promoting truth in the public space, and exacting accountability on those who harm it with lies. For those interested to join the initiative, email info@factsfirst.ph.
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