A television commercial known for its usage of the "EDSA-pwera" wordplay was released on January 9, 2024 in various television channels in the Philippines advocating for charter change or reform of the 1987

Constitution of the Philippines The Constitution of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Saligang Batas ng Pilipinas'' or ''Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas'') is the Constitution, supreme law of the Philippines. Its final draft was completed by the Philippine Constitution ...

. The commercial received criticism after it was perceived to be an attack on the legacy of the

1986 People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a sustained campaign of ...

The EDSA-pwera advertisement was 60 seconds long. A voiceover proposes that the 1987 Constitution should be amended reasoning that the ordinary people has been left out of the progress since the 1986 People Power Revolution. It was first released on January 9, 2024 in various Philippine television channels by

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN is a leading Philippine media and content company. It serves as the flagship media brand of ABS-CBN Corporation, a subsidiary of Lopez Holdings Corporation. Once the country's largest free-to-air television network, ABS-CBN has since ...

, GMA, and TV5. The law firm of Gana Atienza Avisado paid for the ad in behalf of the group People's Initiative for Reform Modernization and Action (PIRMA) who maintains that it was wholly funded privately. PIRMA said that the concept behind the ad was by their advertising agency. The group's lead convenor, Noel Oñate, confirmed that the advertisement cost ₱55 million to make, adding that he had personally shouldered half of its costs. At a

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

hearing, he refused to divulge the names of donors to the campaign, adding that the ensuing controversy led to some of them withdrawing up to ₱28 million in donations. A subsequent investigation also found that PIRMA's registration had been revoked by the

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

in 2004 due to non-submission of annual reports and other requirements.

Reception

The advertisement was subject to scrutiny in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

president and

Albay Albay (IPA: ), officially the Province of Albay (; ; Baybayin, ᜎᜎᜏᜒᜄᜈ᜔ ᜈᜅ᜔ ᜀᜎ᜔ᜊᜌ᜔), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the isla ...

representative

Edcel Lagman Edcel Castelar Lagman Sr. (, May 1, 1942 – January 30, 2025) was a Filipino human rights lawyer and politician from the province of Albay. He was elected as a member of the House from 1987 to 1998 and 2004 to 2013 and from 2016 up until h ...

found the advertisement "crudely crafted" and "devoid of substance". He alleged that the usage of "ESDA-pwera" in the ad is a way to discredit the

People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, were a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...

. France Castro of the

Alliance of Concerned Teachers An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...

questioned if the video was funded by public funds, which PIRMA denied.

Notes

References

{{reflist Television controversies in the Philippines Advertising and marketing controversies 2024 controversies 2024 in the Philippines January 2024 in the Philippines

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Reception

See also

Notes

References