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home > the revolution > a
surmounting rebellion
Sunday,
February 23, 1986
00:00
Thousands of people, responding to the Cardinal’s appeal, begin gathering outside
rebel camps and bringing supplies and food for the soldiers. They form a human barricade
outside the camp gates, hoping to block any attack.
Enrile issues a statement to
reporters that it was Aquino who had won the elections.
 01:00
Armed soldiers destroy Radio Veritas’ transmission tower in Malolos, Bulacan thereby
cutting off all news of the rebellion in Manila and Quezon City from the provinces.
Enrile and Ramos call on
Marcos to resign in favor of Aquino. They meet with businessmen, defecting officers and
opposition politicians pledging their support.
Arms and ammunition are
ferried into Camp Aquinaldo and Camp Crame, Ramos’ headquarters, in preparation for
an expected assault on the part of the loyalist forces.
02:00 Ramos
calls the revolution "a revolution of the people," as he faces his supporters
for the first time outside the gates of Camp Crame alongside Epifanio de los Santos
Avenue.
10:00 Enrile
airs an appeal for more civilian presence outside the rebel camps over Radio Veritas.
Ramos says that the "moral power of an enraged population" will be enough to
halt the loyalist forces nonviolently. He claims that the rebels have the support of up to
90% of provincial military commanders.
12:30 Marcos
appears on television with loyalist generals. He hints at a possible artillery strike
while announcing plans for his upcoming Tuesday inauguration. He introduces three more
officers allegedly involved in the coup. The leader of the plot is said to be
Enrile’s chief of security, Col. Gergorio "Gringo"
Honasan.
 13:30
Having heard of reports of loyalist troop movements, Enrile transfers his forces to Camp
Crame. Tens of thousands chant "Johnny! Johnny!" as Enrile, clutching as Uzi
machine gun, crosses the street to the neighboring camp with his men.
A large Marine contingent
composed of tanks and an armored personnel carrier proceeds towards the Camps via Ortigas
Avenue. They are stopped nearly a mile from the gates by a wall of tens of thousands of
people. General Artemio Tadiar threatens to open fire if the crowd does not disperse. The
people do not budge. They respond by singing, "And Bayan Ko," praying and
offering soldiers cigarettes and bread.
The Marines try to push
forward with their APC’s and cocked machine guns. The people hold their ground,
singing louder and praying harder. The Marines withdraw without firing a single shot.
15:00 Cory
Aquino returns to Manila from Cebu and goes into hiding. Before leaving, she praises the
rebel leaders and calls on Marcos to step down.
An armored column of loyalist
Marines are stopped by a wall of people manning makeshift barricades one kilometer from
the rebel headquarters as radio appeals for "people power" to continue. After
dusk, the column withdraws.
Throughout the afternoon,
opposition leaders hold talks with Enrile regarding the formation of a provincial
government with Aquino as president.
18:30 Radio
Veritas goes off the air. The station has been operating via an emergency transmitter as
its main transmitter, was sabotaged by armed men early in the morning.
Other sympathetic stations
continue broadcasting new of the rebellion. Civilians manning DXRJ broadcast reports of
government and other vital information to the people in the barricades. DZRJ is now DZBB,
Radio Bandido.
Mindful of what happened to
Radio Veritas, announcer June Kiethley keeps the station’s location secret.
19:00 On air
as a press conference, Ramos pledges to put the "New Armed Forces" at the
service of "newly-constituted authorities" ,a clear reference to the possible
Aquino-led provisional government.
Cory’s running mate
Salvador Laurel is present at the press conference.
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