President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will lead today the 17^th anniversary celebration of Edsa People Power 1 by joining the masses for the traditional Eucharistic celebration at the Edsa Shrine and then motoring to Nueva Ecija for the inauguration of the Aquino-Diokno Memorial.

The President arrived early this morning from Kuala Lumpur, where she attended the 13^th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

After presiding over the executive committee meeting of the National Economic and Development Authority in Malacanang, the President will proceed to the Edsa Shrine for Mass.

Afterwards, she will fly to Fort Magsaysay to preside over the inauguration of the Aquino-Diokno Memorial as a National Shrine.

The memorial is to the former detention site of the late Senators Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. and Jose "Pepe" W. Diokno, who were imprisoned in Fort Magsaysay during the early months of Martial Law.

The President ordered the rehabilitation of the detention cells following a visit last December 17 to the Aquino Center at the Hacienda Luisita complex in Tarlac City.

Inspired by what she saw at the Aquino Center museum, where photos and memorabilia of the late senator were on exhibit, the President instructed Maj. Gen. Alberto Braganza to improve the site.

Braganza is the President’s former Senior Military Aide and is now Commanding General of the Philippine Army’s 7^th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City (formerly Laur).

Reconstructing the site and transforming it into a memorial in time for this year’s EDSA 1 commemoration proved to be a challenging task. The 51^st Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army provided the skilled labor for the construction while the Seventh Infantry troops provided the labor force.

The detention facility was actually the former headquarters of the First Military Security Detachment of the Military Security Unit of the Philippine Army. It was converted into a detention facility for political prisoners during the early months of Martial Law.

From March 12 to April 11 1973, Ninoy Aquino (codenamed "Alpha) and Pepe Diokno (codenamed "Delta) endured a month of isolation, indignity and uncertainty in separate small stuffy and nearly bare rooms. With the windows nailed shut, only fluorescent bulbs lighted the rooms 24 hours a day.

Left with only few pieces of clothing, the two opposition leaders were not allowed to wear wristwatches, or to see and talk to each other. They kept trace of one another by alternately singing "Lupang Hinirang" and "Bayan Ko."

Christmas tunes were played in the summer to further disorient the detainees. Ninoy kept track of time by observing the shadow of a barely visible fence post and marked the passing of each day on a window jamb.

Similarly, Diokno used tobacco residue from his pipe to count the days on a soapbox. Later, he would tie knots in his mosquito net to keep trace of the days that passed.

In solitary confinement, Ninoy found comfort in knowing that the "jail warden" was his godson, First Lieutenant and now Ambassador Voltaire T. Gazmin. He was also touched by the compassion shown by Capt. Diosdado Garcia, the medical officer on duty and Miss Basilica Tolentino (now Mrs. Ollero).

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today joined the people and some of the principal personalities in the 1986 People Power Revolution during a Thanksgiving Mass celebrated at the Our Lady of Peace Church at the EDSA Shrine in Ortigas, Pasig City in commemoration of the 17^th anniversary of the popular uprising that toppled a dictatorship and restored democracy to the country.

With Jaime Cardinal Sin as the main celebrant, the Mass was also attended by former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon and some members of the Cabinet led by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.

During his homily, Cardinal Sin urged Filipinos to "rekindle the dream" of the first people power revolution.

"Now is the time to act," said the Cardinal. "There is so much to be done.

Former President Aquino, described as the inspiration of the first Edsa revolution, said that people power is about assuming responsibility for ourselves and for others.

"Let us not just concentrate on our rights but also on our responsibilities," said the widow of former Sen. Benigno S. Aquino, Jr.

Former President Fidel Ramos, one of the main characters in People Power I, said: "We Filipinos must never allow our political processes and institutions ever to fail again."

Ramos pointed out that the only true path to sustainable development and enduring nationhood should be through the strengthening of ethical values, political institutions and social cohesion as a united and capable people and as a competitive national team performing competently in the globalized world of the 21^st century.

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue was the center of the world’s attention for four days in February 1986 when people from all walks of life converged on EDSA and pulled a miracle: a bloodless uprising that toppled President Ferdinand Marcos.

In January 2001, a second people power revolution or EDSA II became necessary because of the nationwide outrage over a corrupt and inept leadership that almost brought down the economy.

The outcome of that revolution was the assumption into office of President Macapagal-Arroyo.

After the midday Mass, the President and Ms. Aquino flew by helicopter to Fort Magsaysay, in Laur, Nueva Ecija to declare the incarceration cell of former Senators Aquino and Jose W. Diokno as a National Shrine.

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated here today the Aquino-Diokno Memorial commemorating the sacrifice and strength of spirit of the late Senators Benigno "Ninoy" S. Aquino, Jr. and Jose "Pepe" W. Diokno.

After attending the eucharistic celebration at the Edsa Shrine on the 17th anniversary of Edsa People Power 1, the President flew here to witness the launching of the memorial.

Along with former President Corazon Aquino and Carmen Diokno, the widows of the two senators, and the other members of the Aquino, Cojuangco and Diokno clans, the President unveiled the marker at the former detention facility.

The cells were the former Army Intelligence Headquarters of the First Military Security Detachment.

The President then viewed a 20-minute video presentation on the history of the two senators' incarceration. Afterwards, the President toured the detention facility with the families of the two senators.

In a short program, the President witnessed the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Department of National Defense and Department of Tourism, making Fort Magsaysay a tourist destination in Central Luzon.

The area would also offer adventure trips for tourists who want to experience mountain-trekking, rappelling and water sports.

The MOA was signed by Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon and Defense Underscretary Edgardo Batenga.

The President ordered the rehabilitation of the detention cells following a visit last December 17 to the Aquino Center at the Hacienda Luisita complex in Tarlac City.

Inspired by what she saw at the Aquino Center museum where photos and memorabilia of the late senator were on exhibit, the President instructed Maj. Gen. Alberto Braganza to improve the site.

Braganza is the President's former Senior Military Aide and is now Commanding General of the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City (formerly Laur).

In brief remarks, Mrs. Aquino thanked the President and Maj. Gen. Braganza for putting up the memorial. She admitted that when the proposal was raised by the President last December 17 in Tarlac City, she was not initially fully convinced that it could be done.

She noted that Ninoy's detention here was "one of the most traumatic experience of our lives." The former president said, however, that the experience paved the way for the strengthening of Ninoy's spirituality. "It was the start of his being prayerful," Mrs. Aquino said.

The former President said Aquino and Diokno's detention was part of their supposed punishment for smuggling an article to the Bangkok Post. But she noted that "poor" Diokno had nothing to do with such and that actually, it was Ninoy, and their daughter Ballsy, who did the act.

She noted, however, that it made her feel much better that Diokno was with Ninoy at that time. From March 12 to April 11, 1973, Ninoy (codenamed "Alpha") and Pepe (codenamed "Delta") endured a month of isolation, indignity and uncertainty in separate small, stuffy and nearly bare rooms. With the windows nailed shut, only fluorescent bulbs lighted the rooms 24 hours a day.

Left with only a few pieces of clothing, the two opposition leaders were not allowed to wear wristwatches, or to see and talk to each other. They kept track of each another by alternately singing "Lupang Hinirang" and "Bayan Ko."

Christmas tunes were played in the summer to further disorient the detainees. Ninoy kept track of time by observing the shadow of a barely visible fence post and marked the passing of each day on a window jamb.

Similarly, Diokno used tobacco residue from his pipe to count the days on a soapbox. Later, he would tie knots on his mosquito net to keep track of the days that passed.

In solitary confinement, Ninoy found comfort in knowing that the "jail warden" was his godson, then first lieutenant and now Ambassador to Cambodia Voltaire T. Gazmin. He was also touched by the compassion shown by Capt. Diosdado Garcia, the medical officer on duty, and Miss Basilica Tolentino (now Mrs. Ollera).

The two detainees were later transferred to Fort Bonifacio.