As the nation marks the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, the Jesuit Music Ministry (JMM) of Jesuit Communications (JesCom) offers a timely musical reflection—one that remembers the past while asking what faith and freedom demand today.
Titled Pag-aalaala, the upcoming EP commemorates four decades since Filipinos gathered peacefully along EDSA, sustained by prayer, courage, and a shared hope for change. More than a tribute album, Pag-aalaala is an invitation to discern: how the same faith that carried a people through struggle continues to call them forward amid new challenges.
Conceived as a collection of “musical remembrances,” the EP traces the spirit of People Power through songs of love for country, voices from the streets, and hope that refuses to fade. In remembering, JMM does not linger in nostalgia. Instead, the project asks listeners to reflect on the present—on what it means to live out freedom, solidarity, and responsibility today.
The EP will be released in stages across digital streaming platforms. The first single, “Bagong Kinabukasan” by Noel Cabangon, arrives on February 13, setting the tone with a song that looks toward renewal and the promise of tomorrow. On February 20, “Kalye,” written by Toto Sorioso and performed with Bukas Palad and Hangad, follows—grounded in the lived realities and voices that once filled the streets.
The full EP drops on February 23, featuring additional tracks that deepen the reflection. These include “Pilipinas, Aking Inang Bayan” by Bukas Palad; “Ahon Na,” performed by Noel Cabangon and Gab Cabangon, and a powerful reimagining of “Pag-aalaala,” sung by a grand choir of over 100 voices, with special participation from OPM artists Lucas, Bituin Escalante, Floyd Tena, Michael Shimamoto, Darwin Lomentigar, Eumee Capili, Poppert Bernadas and Noel Cabangon.
At the heart of the EP is “Pag-aalaala,” originally composed by Fr. Manoling V. Francisco, SJ, to honor the peaceful courage that defined EDSA in 1986. Long familiar to Filipino Catholics as a hymn often sung when communities gather for worship, the song is re-envisioned in 2026 at a moment when the nation once again seeks refuge, clarity, and resolve. Its renewed arrangement underscores a simple truth: remembering is itself an act of faith.
Several songs from the EP will be performed at EDSA anniversary events throughout February, including the Tayo ang People Power gatherings on February 25, 2026, at the People Power Monument, where schools, parishes, and civic groups will unite in prayer and remembrance.
The release also coincides with JesCom’s wider social media campaign, in collaboration with other Catholic media groups and influencers, carrying the message “Tayo ang People Power.” The theme frames People Power not as a one-day commemoration, but as an ongoing movement—an enduring call to build a more just and humane nation.
Through Pag-aalaala, JesCom and JMM continue their mission of media evangelization: using music to form conscience, awaken memory, and invite discernment.
Forty years on, the songs ask a quiet but urgent question—how will we, today, live the very spirit we remember?
AMDG
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