Said Ninoy Aquino, the iconic symbol of steadfast opposition to the one-man rule of Ferdinand Marcos during the Martial Law period (1972-1986).
Ninoy was gunned down in broad daylight on Aug. 21, 1983 on the tarmac of the nation’s international airport, now named after him.
Sen. Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr., founding chairperson of the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino, which later combined forces with Aquino’s Lakas ng Bayan (Laban) party (becoming the pillars of the above-ground opposition to the Marcos dictatorship), aptly described his close personal acquaintance with Ninoy in an article Ninoy Aquino: Man of Destiny, Hero of the People (Business Mirror, Aug. 22, 2009).
Aquino was imprisoned for about eight years after Martial Law was declared by Marcos. Even in his imprisonment, he sought a parliamentary seat for Metro Manila in the Interim Batasang Pambansa, under the banner of Laban, but “lost” to the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan slate led by then First Lady Imelda Marcos.
Aquino remained in prison but continued to fight for democracy in the country, and against the oppression of the Filipino people. In frustration, Ninoy exclaimed: “Pity a nation in need of heroes!”
After suffering from a heart attack in March 1980, he and his family moved to the United States for medical treatment, eventually leading to his self-imposed exile for about three years. There, he was visited by Nene Pimentel, where their discussions focused on attaining democracy as he continued his advocacy by speaking to the Filipino-American communities.
Upon returning to the Philippines on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport (now named Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor), he was shot and killed at the staircase of the plane as he was being escorted by Aviation Security Command personnel.
Ninoy’s assasination led to several almost-daily protests. It was his funeral attended by millions of Filipinos that sparked the calling for the snap presidential elections in 1986, which eventually led to the 1986 EDSA Revolution, catapulting his wife Cory Aquino to the presidency.
This holiday on Aug. 21 every year was declared through Republic Act 9256, signed into law by President Arroyo on Feb. 25, 2004, 21 years after Ninoy’s assassination, and 18 years after the People Power Revolution.
On this significant non-working holiday every Aug. 21st, recall the famous poem of Ted Engstrom:
“The world needs men and women: who cannot be bought, whose words is their bonds, who put character above wealth, who do not hesitate to take chances, who will not lose their individuality in crowd, who will not say they do it because everybody else does it, who are true to their friends in adversity as well as prosperity, who do not believe that shrewdness,cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success, who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular, who can say “no” with emphasis although all the world say “yes”, whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires.”
Are we that man/woman? The Filipino nation needs us to be that man/woman.
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