Skip to content
CHICKENPIE.Start a project →
Art & illustrations

40 Years Later: The 'Special Working' Revolution

Celebrating 40 years of People Power — now with more Marcos, political dynasties, and confusing wage rules. Democracy: still under construction.

Behind the artwork ↓
Chickenpie caricature illustration depicting white chicken characters protesting at EDSA People Power Monument with yellow ribbons and L hand signs, split composition showing 1986 celebration versus 2026 ongoing struggle
FROM THE SKETCHBOOK
BEHIND THE ARTWORK
At a glance
CategoryArt & illustrations
PublishedFeb 26, 2026
Read time2 min
Covered here
  • Politics
  • Philippine News

February 25, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution — the bloodless uprising that toppled the Marcos dictatorship and became a global symbol of peaceful democratic resistance. Filipinos gathered along EDSA to commemorate the historic moment with rallies, remembrance ceremonies, and renewed calls for accountability.

Here's the delicious irony: the son of the dictator kicked out in 1986 is now president during the 40th anniversary celebration. Bongbong Marcos Jr. presides over commemorations of the revolution that sent his family packing to Hawaii. You can't write satire better than reality.

Adding to the absurdity: the government declared February 25 a 'special working holiday,' creating mass confusion over wage rules. Is it a holiday? Are we working? Are we celebrating democracy or just... showing up? The bureaucratic muddle feels like a perfect metaphor for the revolution's 'unfinished business.'

Democracy: Please hold. Your revolution is important to us. Estimated completion time: still calculating.

Both rallies along EDSA on February 25 highlighted what protesters called the 'unfinished fight' — ending corruption and political dynasties. Forty years later, the same family is back in power, and the same demands echo through the streets. The yellow ribbons still wave. The L signs still flash. The revolution, it seems, is a work in progress.

So here's to 40 years of People Power — and to however many more years it takes to actually finish the job. Keep those yellow ribbons handy. We're going to need them.

Share
MORE FROM THIS LITTLE DESK

A little worth keeping.

Stories, experiments, and things I find along the way. Occasionally, in your inbox.

Get the letter ↗
/feed/40-years-people-power-special-working-revolution

Have a project in mind?

Tell us what you are making and what you need. An unfinished idea is welcome too.

Start a project →

Another paper for you.

Mr Chicken watches a fuel receipt take up the breathing room at a transport stop.

The Fare Went Up. The Breathing Room Didn’t.

South Cotabato commuters pay more. Drivers still feel squeezed. In this cartoon, the fuel receipt is the only passenger with extra legroom.

Open paper
Cartoon disgraced official in a barong escorted in handcuffs down government steps by agents, press scrum with cameras and microphones, Mr. Chicken watching from the edge of the crowd with a press notepad

The Untouchable Got Touched

Fifteen years of "witch hunt" deflection ended in handcuffs. This isn't a villain reveal — it's math, finally collecting on a debt.

Open paper
Retro-print illustration of a weekend Quezon City courthouse bail window with a price list reading Grave Threats P120,000 per count, a queue of clerks, and a small Chickenpie mascot watching from the side holding a receipt

The Assassination Threat Had a Price Tag. It Was P360,000.

The VP threatened to have three people killed. The going rate for forgiveness turned out to be P120,000 a head.

Open paper
Cartoon chicken in a barong vest sitting quietly in the back row of an empty Philippine Senate hearing room, one chair covered in mold, binders piled on a table, spilled popcorn on the floor

Day 21 of the Impeachment Trial. The Senate Chairs Have Started to Mold.

Twenty-one days in, this stopped being about guilt. It's an endurance contest now, and nobody's willing to blink first.

Open paper
CHKN flat-vector illustration: palace hall birthday party with a spotlit karaoke mic, press photographers, FLOOD CONTROL folders ignored under a chair, Mr. Chicken holding a songbook

The President Sang. Malacañang Had to Explain It.

Malacañang defended the President's birthday karaoke with a press statement. We have thoughts, feathers, and a chicken who saw it all from the corner.

Open paper
Empty Philippine House of Representatives chamber with a janitor polishing a nameplate and a tiny cartoon chicken watching from the shadows

They Expelled the Congressman. Cavite Just Refilled the Chair.

Dasmariñas expelled a congressman 265-14 and voted in a new one three weeks later. Same seat, same family history since 2007. We didn't fix anything. We refilled it.

Open paper

You might also like