EDSA at 40: A Post-EDSA Reflection Session on Freedom, Self-Determination, 

The dream isn't a destination; it's a practice. 🕊️🌱

Yesterday, we gathered for The Common Dream Project: Post-EDSA Reflections, and the energy in the room (and on our screens) was a testament to the fact that the spirit of 1986 is still very much alive—and still evolving.

A profound thank you to our incredible resource speakers for guiding us through this milestone reflection:

• Jose Augustus Villano (Human Rights)

• Prof. Aurora Teresita Tabada (Gender & Self-Determination)

• Manang Jeanira Godio-Okubo (Land Rights)

• Dr. Glenn Pajares (Transparency & PH-EITI)

And to our participants from Sibonga and beyond—thank you for your courage to look back so we can more clearly see the way forward.

The Synthesis: A Tapestry of Freedom

In four hours, we realized that our struggle for a better nation is not a collection of separate issues, but a single, interconnected tapestry:

Freedom is the foundation, but it remains a hollow word if it isn't felt in our everyday lives. To truly experience freedom, we must have Self-Determination—the power to decide our own futures. Yet, self-determination is impossible if we are sidelined by gender inequality or stripped of our Land Rights, for how can a people be free if they have no soil to stand on? Finally, we cannot defend our land or our lives without the Truth. Transparency and the right to information are the tools that turn "dreams" into "accountability."

The lesson of the 40th year is clear: To protect one right is to protect them all. We don’t just carry the memory of EDSA; we carry the responsibility of its unfinished work.

The dialogue doesn’t end here. The common dream continues in our fields, our homes, and our collective action. ✊🇵🇭

#TheCommonDreamProject #EDSA40 #HumanRights #LandRights #SelfDetermination #Freedom