MANILA, Philippines – For veteran music acts Leah Navarro and APO Hiking Society‘s Jim Paredes and Boboy Garrovillo, standing on stage at the Trillion Peso March on the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution was a full-circle moment.

As they took the stand along White Plains on Wednesday, February 25, Navarro, Garrovillo, and Paredes knew that times had changed. Four decades had passed, and there were already several generations that came after them.

Navarro, who is also an activist, had walked the path of EDSA 40 years ago. While she admits that she can no longer tread that same distance now, what’s kept that fire inside her alive had never really changed.

“Ito ang kaya ko pa rin: na manindigan para sa katotohanan, mag-call out sa lahat ng tiwali na nangyayari dito sa atin, [at] mag-call out sa mga kurakot kasi ‘yan ang EDSA People Power,” she said.

(This is what I can still do: stand up for the truth, call out all the corruption that’s happening in our country, and call out all the thieving politicians because that’s what EDSA People Power is about.)

Before she sang her hit song “Isang Mundo, Isang Awit,” Navarro had just one call to action: “Kailangan ituro natin uli sa kanila na magmahal sa ating mga kapwa at sa ating bansa.”

(We need to teach them how to love one another and our own country.)

Garrovillo and Paredes are no strangers to the fight for democracy, either. But they weren’t there to sing any of their viral love songs like “Panalangin” and “When I Met You.” They went down the lesser known, yet more patriotic route — choosing to sing “Minamahal Kong Pilipinas,” a message song that they believe many people only heard for the first time during their performance.

“Alam natin kung bakit tayo lahat nandidito. Minamahal natin ang Pilipinas at gusto nating ayusin ang ating bansa. Kami’y bumabalik dito after 40 years dahil hindi pa tapos. Kayo, mga kabataan, kayo na po magpapatuloy nito hangga’t gumanda ulit ang buhay natin sa Pilipinas dahil ito lamang ang minamahal nating bayan,” said Garrovillo.

(We all know why we’re here. We all love the Philippines and we want to fix our country. We’re returning here 40 years later because it’s not over yet. To the youth, it is now up to you to continue the fight until our lives in the Philippines get better again because this is the only nation we love.)

To drive the point home, APO Hiking Society invited other legendary OPM artists on stage to sing the 2023 remake of “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo,” which first came out in 1986 to commemorate the People Power Revolution. According to the veteran group, the most recent version of the song includes the youth, and is more relevant than ever.

Aside from Navarro and APO Hiking Society, the Trillion Peso March also featured speeches from key personalities across different sectors, such as Kiko Aquino Dee, Winnie Monsod, and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, among others. Artists like Morobeats, Gab Cabangon, Toto Sorioso, and comedy group SPIT Manila also performed. – Rappler.com