Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

THE memory is still fresh, as though it just happened yesterday.  But it has been twenty-six years since Ninoy Aquino stepped out of the plane at the Manila International Airport which carried him from the United States, where he was stayed in exile for seven years.  

Despite all the guards assigned for him (by of course, the Marcos government), along with thousands of military and police personnel, armed bodyguards and even a bulletproof vest, Ninoy was fatally shot in the head as he was escorted off the airplane.

From a young politician to a fighter against dictatorship

Ninoy was no stranger to politics.  He came from a family of politicians.  His grandfather served under President Aguinaldo, while his father held office under Presidents Manuel L. Quezon and Jose P. Laurel.  

Still, Ninoy made a mark in Philippine politics on his own.  At 22, he became the youngest municipal mayor, and the youngest vice-governor at the age of 27.  Aside from becoming governor of Tarlac at age 29, he became the youngest elected senator in the history of the Philippines at the age of 34.  

But his successful political career also imperiled his life.  He was the only member of the Liberal Party who made it to the senate – which was dominated by former President Ferdinand Marcos and his allies.  Ninoy was a threat to the Marcoses, who continued to speak out about the dictator’s as well as Imelda Marcos’ excessive spending and plans for militarization, barely four years before Martial Law was actually proclaimed.

Although many saw Ninoy as an unlikely contender for the highest office, surveys showed that he was the number one choice of Filipinos.  However, Marcos saw to it that he would remain in power by declaring Martial Law on September 21, 1972 and had Ninoy arrested on charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion, accusing him of being involved in the fateful Plaza Miranda bombing on August 1971.  

Although unjustly accused, Ninoy went through the same ordeals like any prisoner – he faced a military tribunal.  He was found guilty by the government-controlled military commission and was sentenced by firing squad.

He spent almost eight years in solitary confinement.  After suffering two heart attacks, he decided to go on exile in the United States to undergo a coronary bypass.  While in the US, Ninoy attended symposiums, lectures and gave speeches in freedom rallies against the Marcos dictatorship.  Still, he vowed to return to his country, to his people.

‘The Filipinos are worth fighting for’

In his speech before the Asia Society in New York on August 4, 1980, Ninoy said:

“I have ask myself many times:  Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying, for?  Is he not a coward who would readily yield to any colonizer, be he foreign or homegrown?  Is a Filipino more comfortable under an authoritarian leader because he does not want to be burdened with the freedom of choice?  Is he unprepared, or worse, ill-suited for presidential or parliamentary democracy?

I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for because he is the nation’s greatest untapped resource.”

Such is Ninoy’s loyalty and love for his country and his fellowmen that he was willing to give up his life for their freedom.  On August 21, 1983, despite of knowing that his life may be threatened, Ninoy went back to the Philippines.  The shot that killed him reverberated and awakened the senses of Filipinos to the reality of having a dictator as a leader.

Two million people lined the streets to attend his funeral procession.  The Filipinos were sad and angry, but most of all, they found solidarity.  His widow, the late Cory Aquino was thrust into the public eye.  She ran for president against Marcos during the 1986 snap elections and compelled Filipinos to take the streets for a People Power Revolution.

For a generation who became witness to these events, may we never forget how one man – and his love for country and fellowmen – led us to the path to freedom.  This is Ninoy’s legacy, what he stands for, what he fought for.