February 25, 1986: Ferdinand Marcos Is Deposed

February 25, 1986: The "People Power Revolution" comes to the Philippines, ending the 20-year dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Born in 1917, Marcos was one of the Filipinos taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II, but was released after 4 months. The reason is not clear. He later claimed to be "the most decorated war hero in the Philippines," but most of those decorations were found to have been granted many years thereafter -- by himself, once in power.

He became a lawyer, and served in each house of the national legislature, before getting elected President in 1965. He managed to grow the economy for much of the Pacific island nation, but also left great poverty and great repression.

In 1972, a series of bombings added to the difficulties he would have in getting elected to a 3rd term. They may have been "false flags," his own "Reichstag Fire": He imposed martial law, and revised the Constitution to make it easier for him to do what he wanted. Freedom of the press came to an end under his rule.

At this time, he had Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, the leader of the opposition, arrested. He released Aquino in 1980, so he could travel to America for medical treatment. On August 21, 1983, knowing he could be arrested, or even killed, upon his arrival, Aquino flew back to his homeland. Sure enough, as soon as he set foot on the tarmac at Manila International Airport, he was shot and killed by soldiers, a brazen assassination. Even President Ronald Reagan, who supported Marcos because he was a strong anti-Communist, began to back away from supporting him.

In 1985, the national Assembly attempted to impeach Marcos -- not for the assassination of Senator Aquino, but for corruption. The impeachment drive failed. Also failing was Marcos' health: He had lupus, underwent a kidney transplant that failed, and underwent a second transplant that worked. His wife Imelda Marcos began to be seen as his public spokesperson. People who hated him now hated her, too.

So, in spite of having another year left in his term, he called a snap election for February 7, 1986. The opposition nominated Corazon Aquino, Ninoy's widow, for President. The Commission On Elections (COMELEC) ruled that Marcos had won, with 53.7 percent of the vote. However, the National Movement for Free Elections said that Aquino had won, with 52.5 percent. Fraud was alleged -- by both sides.

Who was right? The answer came when 35 COMELEC computer technicians issued a statement, saying that the official results were manipulated to favor Marcos. Some Marcos allies defected to the opposition, including one man who said an assassination attempt against him was a fake, an attempt to generate sympathy for the ruling regime.

Demonstrations were held all over the country. On February 25, Mrs. Aquino participated in a non-binding inauguration ceremony. It was clear that, even if Marcos had rightly won the election, he couldn't win one now: The country wanted him gone.

Marcos telephoned Senator Paul Laxalt of Nevada, a close friend and ally of President Reagan, who advised him, "Cut, and cut cleanly." With the U.S. military still having a presence in the country, over 40 years after World War II, Marcos made a deal, and the U.S. Air Force took him to Guam, and then to Hawaii.

Mrs. Aquino was officially sworn in as President, and at the end of the year, Time magazine would name her its Person of the Year. She would eventually face counter-coups that would fail. After she left office in 1992 -- constitutionally and willingly -- the airport where her husband was assassinated was renamed for him: She died in 2009. Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Their son, Benigno Aquino III, a.k.a. Noynoy, served as President from 2010 to 2016.

Stories of the Marcoses' luxurious habits leaked out of both Manila and their home-in-exile in Hawaii. Particularly grabbing people's attention, on both sides of the Pacific, were Imelda's collection of thousands of shoes. They began to look like an Asian version of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. In fact, the Bakkers were amateurs compared to the Marcoses: Jim convinced his followers to give to him, while Marcos looted an entire country.

He died in 1989. Imelda was allowed to return to the Philippines, and reinter her husband's remains there. As of February 25, 2022, she is still alive.

The Marcoses' son, Ferdinand Jr., known as Bongbong Marcos, served in the Philippine Senate, and is running for President in the election that will be held on May 9, 2022. Currently, the country's Constitution limits the President to one term, so Rodrigo Duterte, who may be an even more oppressive leader than Marcos was, must leave office. Ferdinand Sr.'s daughter Imee Marcos is now serving in the Senate. (UPDATE: Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was elected.)

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February 25, 1986 was a Tuesday. Baseball and football were out of season. There were 8 games played in the NBA that night:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Boston Celtics, 91-74 at Madison Square Garden.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the Golden State Warriors, 116-109 at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the Meadowlands.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Chicago Bulls, 122-108 at the Chicago Stadium. Moses Malone scored 42 points.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Bullets, 100-87 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.

* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 114-99 at the Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena, or "The MECCA." Since 2014, it has been named the UW-Panther Arena.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns, 112-99 at the McNichols Arena in Denver. Alex English scored 41 points.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 100-97 at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.

* And the Sacramento Kings beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 102-100 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.

And there were 4 games played in the NHL:

* In an "Original Six" matchup, the New York Rangers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 7-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.

* The Washington Capitals beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-3 at the Capital Centre in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. Peter Andersson scored the winning goal, 36 seconds into overtime.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Quebec Nordiques, 7-4 at the Colisée de Québec.

* And the Calgary Flames beat the St. Louis Blues, 4-1 at the St. Louis Arena.