Yellow, the color of Laban!

Why Yellow?

Remember the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"?
It tells a story of a soldier who is coming back from the army. Because it has been many years since he's been home, he's unsure if he is still wanted back by his (I will assume) wife. So he writes her a letter saying that if she ties a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree in front of their home, he will know that she still loves him and that she does want him back. If there is no yellow ribbon, he will turn around and not return home. On his arrival, he anxiously walks up to his house and there is not one yellow ribbon on the tree --- there are a "hundred yellow ribbons ' round the old oak tree." Happy ending.

Well, that is where the color choice came from.


For what purpose?

Benigno Aquino, Marcos' longtime political rival, was returning from his exile in the U.S. to prepare for the 1986 Presidential elections. He was to unite the opposition parties against Marcos.

When Benigno Aquino was expected to arrive at the Manila International Airport hundreds of people went to the airport, wearing yellow t-shirts, to welcome him home to the Philippines. The airport was decorated with yellow streamers and ribbons and many streets and highways of Metro Manila had been colored up with as ribbons and streamers well.

YELLOW was the color that meant to tell "Ninoy" Aquino: "welcome home after such a long time," hinting to the words in that song.

Benigno Aquino was assassinated at the airport even before he got off the plane.

The color yellow then went on to be the color of the Laban party in defiance of the assasination.

The color yellow then became the color that many, many people chose to wear as a symbol of defiance to the 20 years of the Marcos Regime and its policy of plunder, arrests, torture, killings, of anyone who represented OPPOSITION to Marcos in anyway --- slight or significant, personal or political.

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Since April 1996, this website has evolved from

"I Remember People Power. . ."

to

"WE Remember People Power: 1986 Philippines."

I've gotten a bunch of responses!
But, I would like more!

If you have a personal story to tell,
in either Filipino or English, in one or more sentences, about what you did or remember during this great event and would like to post it here, please START WRITING and e-mail it to me.

If you have anything else to share or have any comments or a related URL that I can add to this website please e-mail me - - -

perla@newfilipina.com

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All rights reserved©1996 Perla P. Daly
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