By Ma. Cristina Arayata THE nation commemorates the Edsa People Power Revolt’s  30th anniversary today. For those who weren’t born yet when the People Power Revolution happened, and for those who were too young at that time, have you ever wondered about its significance? What lessons can we get from the event that spells a holiday for most Filipinos every Feb. 25? Filipinos can unite. If you’ve often seen rallies, commotions in the news, note that Edsa People Power was different. “The Filipino people came together. They fought for greater things than ourselves,” said Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV. The senator, a nephew of the late former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., explained that people got used to fighting for their families, for instance. “(In Edsa People Power), we’ve seen that we can set aside our individual interests,” he said. “If we will help each other, if we will unite, we can conquer everything.” As a senator, Aquino said he’s still looking for that kind of unity. Currently, he said he’s fighting against poverty, lack of education and lack of opportunities. Rich and poor can come together. People from all walks of life were present at the Edsa People Power. Journalist Estrella Gallardo was 43 years old at the time of People Power. She cited that people came together to fight for change and freedom from Martial Law. Thus, powerful people and the ordinary ones united for the same goal -- democracy. Unity goes a long way. The then strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his regime were described as very powerful. But one day, he was defeated, simply because people had the courage to unite and stand for what is right. “We can do it. Even if the enemies have guns, we have defeated them,” Aquino said. “We Filipinos, are good. We can do that for our motherland.” Fighting for something doesn’t require violence. Perhaps Edsa People Power was the most peaceful “fight” the world has witnessed. Even though soldiers were there, not a single shot was fired. People who were part of the revolution showed that defeating cruelty doesn’t need violence. Fighting a dictator doesn’t require one to shed blood. Stop hating Edsa. Whether we admit it or not, many motorists and commuters hate passing by Edsa because of the traffic. “These days, we look at Edsa as annoying, too much traffic,” Aquino lamented, and added that it’s good to remember a time when people came together there. Three decades on, let us not forget that something good has happened on that road. People were in Edsa when they were fighting for democracy. From there, the Filipinos got the freedom from Marcos regime. “Millennials” are lucky. “Millennials” lucky because they have not experienced Martial Law, and they were born in a peaceful environment. The credit goes to everyone who were brave enough and were able to muster up the courage to fight. They say everything happens for a reason. A lot of people may never understand why Martial Law had happened. But what’s more important is that Filipinos learned lessons, and the world has also learned from Filipinos. (ma. cristina arayata)