It was the year 1986. Mrs. Cory Aquino, widow of former Senator Ninoy Aquino, had just challenged the then Philippine strongman President Ferdinand Marcos to a snap election. Marcos agreed, and the game was on. I joined the Laban electoral team to help ensure a clean and fair election. I was 25 years old then, nearing 26. I was then just awakening to the reality of politics in my country. Before that, my only world was my church involvement in a born-again denomination.

We checked neighborhoods in the barangay community to see if any flying voters were around. This went on for days, and then the highly charged election finally happened. We were poll watchers who volunteered to watch every detail of the election proceedings and detect any trick cheaters might try. We were taught the omnibus election code and how to check errors often done in elections, sometimes intentionally.

Later, in the afternoon, after ballot counting, we were assigned to guard the ballot boxes with our lives until they reached city hall. We joined the convoy of cars that brought the boxes to their destination. We were instructed that anytime during the transport, an ambush may happen to snatch the boxes away. We were asked if we were ready to give up our lives for that. If not, we better quit and go home. We decided to stay.

Thank God nothing untoward happened. Days later, both Marcos and Cory proclaimed themselves winners. We got two presidents over us--it was something unique but scary. It meant we would also have two armed forces--that's the really scary part. At that time, it seemed that Aquino and her followers were at the losing side of the situation. Marcos had the military, and that was quite decisive--or so we thought.

Soon, Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and General Fidel Ramos were on air, announcing their bolting from the Marcos administration. It was hair-raising. These former strong allies of the strongman were now denouncing him and his alleged atrocities. I thought at once, "Man, keep that up and you're both ending up heroes in history!" They asked people to support their cause by going to Camps Crame and Aguinaldo where they were seeking refuge, and just stay there as civilian supporters.

Sometime after, Butch Aquino, brother of Ninoy, and Cardinal Sin went on air, encouraging the people to go out there and support Enrile and Ramos. People were a bit reluctant at first, not knowing whether these two would later wrestle power or give it to Cory. Cory, at that time, was reportedly in some Cebu convent praying.

The first few groups that went there were Butch Aquino's ATOM and some leftist and cause-oriented organizations. Also among them was CONFES, a student organization composed of members of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of which I was also a part. They witnessed on the spot how 5 big military helicopters that seemed to spray them with automatic machine gun fire, were actually surrendering to the Enrile-Ramos (or "Rebel Forces") in the camps. By this time, Enrile had joined Ramos in Camp Crame, which was smaller and easier to defend.

The CONFES people kneeled on EDSA and prayed with tears, thinking it was their last hour, thinking the helicopters were poised to strike. But they landed on the rebel camps and joined them. It was announced on the radio and the nation cheered wildly. People gathering at EDSA were crazy with amazement! It was the begining of parts of the armed forces gradually surrendering to the rebel forces, to the chargrin of the Marcos forces.

Later, the rebel forces aired that they were willing to surrender power to Cory Aquino, whom they said was the rightful and duly elected president of the Philippines. Because of that, more people were willing to be part of the million-strong EDSA People's Power and the peaceful revolution.

We, Laban team members, volunteers from Project 8 in Quezon City, were at once recalled. We organized ourselves and proceeded to EDSA, right between the camps. When we got there we saw the birth of the EDSA People's Power and the beginnings of the now globaly popular peaceful revolution. It was like a fiesta. Food was everywhere. People were so happy and never considered how dangerous the situation was. We laughed and shared food and stories. We were strangers to each other and yet talked like we have known each other for years!

Later, in the afternoon, we (Laban team from Project 8) were given orders to relocate and defend the back gate of channel 4. Earlier, that government TV station had been taken by a lightning rebel forces assault team and was now needing support from civilians. So we went there.

We thought that the crowd at chanel 4 would be as big as the one we saw in EDSA. We were wrong. We were the first to be there. We were about 20. It was getting dark. How could 20 people block the back gate of TV 4? We didn't say it, but it was obvious we were stiff scared. It was so easy to disperse us. My churchmate, Jerome, joined me there, but I told him he could go home if he wanted to, because he had a family. I was then still single and ready to die for my country. He told me, "I'm doing this for the future of my kids."

Some guys, we learned, were armed "just in case." They readied home-made bombs. Some had guns. They offered us some weapons. Being a church man, I said we were there to pray for peace and prevent armed conflicts. We rested on the street pavement. Some tried to sleep.

At about 2 am the next day, Marcos went on air. We had a big radio with full volume on to be updated with news. Marcos said tiger tanks were on the way to channel 4. He warned civilians to get out of the TV station or his tanks and soldiers would be forced to harm them. When we heard that, we stood up boldly and formed a human cordon. "This is it," I told myself and Jerome. We were determnined to stand our ground no matter what heppened. We thought of gloomy scenarios, like soldiers opening fire at us. I thought of my dad and mom. Jerome and I prayed really hard!

Catholic seminarians appeared from nowhere--some 50 of them--wearing white and holding rosaries. They formed the frontliners of the two-row human cordon. We were kinda glad they were there, but were nevertheless scared. Two rows of human blockade were still no match to tanks. We received news that the tanks were just several blocks away from us and had dispersed civilian blockades in some outer streets.

Just then, radio announcer June Kithley went on air. She asked General Ramos for back up for the people guarding channel 4. That was us! We were elated! They cared about us, after all! We cheered! Within minutes of the call for help, people from nowhere rallied behind us. I turned around and there must have been 300 people behind us! It was like a miracle! I saw that more were coming--ordinary folks, men and women, young and old!

We were better ready to face the tanks this time. We got reports that they were about 2 blocks from us. I turned around again and thought: "At least, there will be 300 other people killed here, not just the 20 of us."

Just then, General Ramos went on air. He warned the tiger tanks to wthdraw. He had ordered the newly surrendered Blue Diamonds--jet fighters of the Philipiine Air Force--to proceed to channel 4 and bomb the tiger tanks if they did not back off. We heard that the jets were capable of accurate hits. Then we got radio reports that the tiger tanks where withdrawing and heading for an opposite direction. The shouts fo the crowd at channel 4 were wild and jubilant! We hugged and shook hands. It was a glorious victory. God saved us!

Days after, Marcos and his loyal hard-core followers were given safe passage to Hawaii to save them from an angry and wild crowd charging towards Malacanang. Elite commando parachuters led by then Col. Gringo Honasan (now senator) were said to be preparing to storm the palace.

Looking back now, I'm 49, I still feel my hair raising on ends when I recall those moments. President Cory Aquino died a few days ago and tributes on TV on her and the EDSA People's Power still make my eyes watery. This peaceful revolution, of which I was a part, is the Philippine's gift to the world.