ANC spotlights EDSA icon Evelio Javier

CHEERS TO ANC’s Rundown for sharing the story of Evelio Javier, one of the most heroic figures now identified with the EDSA uprising of February 1986. 

Javier, however, could not be among the throng on EDSA. He was killed ten days before the mass gathering which began on February 22. A giant in the politics of his home province of Antique, he served as governor for two terms before he was 30 years old. Educated at the Ateneo de Manila University from high school, college and law school, he passed the bar at the age of 19. He made his mark nationally for declaring his independence from Ferdinand Marcos and his regime, set apart by the decency and integrity of his politics.

On February 11, he stood on the steps of the provincial capitol building talking to some constituents when he saw armed men approaching.  He ran down the steps and zigzagged across the plaza as the team chased him, gunning him down with 24 bullets. Supporters transported his body to Manila, where his wake was held at his alma mater. Many claim his life and death inspired many, giving them courage to stand on EDSA against Marcos.  

Most recollections of the movement to oust the regime tend to highlight it as a chain of events located mostly in the capital of the country. Javier is proof that the effort to restore democracy was not Manila-centric. Neither was it a just a contest between two feuding political families.

Journalist Mike Navallo interviewed Evelio Javier’s son Francis Gideon, who, along with most members of the Javier family, left the country to settle in the US. In the 11-minute interview, Gideon recounted the sorrows of dealing with the death of the patriarch. He pointed out that even after all these years, they have never received justice. He admitted that as a private citizen, he did not have the resources or political power to hold the Marcoses accountable.  

Gideon said that no one would do something that brazen on their own, describing the assassination as a concerted plot to get rid of his father. Among the accused and seen as mastermind was a Marcos ally. Arturo Pacificador, who served as assemblyman of Marcos was among the accused masterminds, but was acquitted after a lengthy trial.  There were “persons” he did not name who Gideon said interfered with the trial. 

Javier acknowledged that his father’s death was a tipping point in the EDSA uprising. More people got to know just how far the Marcoses would go to preserve their power. 

Navallo asked how he felt about those saying EDSA was a mere episode in a feud between two families. Gideon pointed out that his father was not personally among Ninoy Aquino’s stalwarts, but worked with opposition politicians, mentioning Eva Estrada Kalaw, a former senator who was Aquino’s partymate. Opposition figures from different parties decided to work together and to unite behind Corazon Aquino. Everyone realized that only through a unified challenge to Marcos could democracy be restored. 

Evelio Javier and men and women like him should never be forgotten. The program did well to interview Gideon Javier and to get him to tell his father’s story. Media should draw out such stories from old files to be refreshed for new audiences. Only by such re-telling can journalists help expose current lies. 

The people of Antique have not forgotten. On February 24, residents of San Jose de Buenavista town in Antique protested online against the planned campaign rally of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr, who is running for president. The event was supposed to be held at the freedom park named after Javier..  The pushback forced Marcos Jr.’s campaign team to “postpone” the rally “in the spirit of peace and unity.”