23/08/2024
FEATURES | Ninoy Aquino: The Life of the Man in a Hurry
By: Arwen Mies Valdeavilla
From our international airport to the infamous yellow bill you get from your Ninongs and Ninangs on Christmas, Ninoy Aquino—his courage and sacrifice is immortalized in our everyday living. But today, on the year of his 41st death anniversary, who has he become to us Gen Zs?
Let’s go back and see the life of the Philippines’ final ignition that set forth to the biggest modern revolution in its history.
47 YEARS REMAINING
Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. or “Ninoy” was the 2nd of the 7 children of Aurora Aquino and Benigno Aquino Sr.. Even at an early age, those around Ninoy can tell that he was stead-fast at becoming a public figure. He was the type of kid who learned to ask questions just as fast as grasping words at the age of three. And not a year after, he was, essentially, the Aquino family’s party host as he likes spending time conversing with guests and delivering his speeches to them.
Aurora Aquino, his mother reminisced about her son’s early life in an article for PeopleAsia, entitled ‘Ninoy: In the eye of memory’.
“When he was four, we sometimes would miss him—and guess where we would find him. In the driveway or at the curb, among the drivers of our guests, talking with them. He was even giving speeches to them.”
33 YEARS REMAINING
Ninoy mastered the art of words and used it to his advantage. Despite admitting that he once was an ‘average student’, switching from one school to another– in college, he went to Ateneo as well as University of the Philippines Diliman but was not able to continue to pursue his degree as he shortly found his passion in journalism.
During the Korean War, he became a writer for the Manila Times at 17. Despite the disapproval of his seniors at the publication, he went against their wishes and snuck into a military plane bound for Korea. Because of this, Aquino was given the award of ‘the Philippine Legion of Honor’ for his courage and bravery for going into a warzone for the sake of journalism.
28 YEARS REMAINING
Fast forward more than 11 years later. From one career to another, Ninoy took on the world of politics. At 22, he carried another record under his belt as the youngest mayor of their hometown in Conception, Tarlac. In little time, he climbed the ladder of Philippine politics from becoming the vice governor, governor to sn**ching a seat to becoming one of the youngest members of the senate in 1967.
He became one of the most vocal oppositions to Former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.. On his most notable political criticism was in a speech entitled, ‘A Pantheon for Imelda’, he commented on the creation of the San Juanico Bridge as well as the First Lady Imelda Marcos’ Cultural Center Project while the Filipinos were gravely suffering poverty at the time.
“I have risen at the risk of her spite, because out there, barely 200 meters away from a fabulous Imelda Cultural Center, a ghetto sprawls, where thousands of Filipinos are kept captives by misery and poverty”
10 YEARS REMAINING
When Marcos Sr. announced Martial Law, Ninoy alongside critics like Jose ‘Pepe’ Diokno and 8,000 civilians were imprisoned. However, with the help of his wife Cory Aquino, he was able to smuggle through letters of his experiences and was able to send it to the Bangkok Post. Due to this, he and Diokno were put in a presidential-sealed helicopter straight to solitary confinement at Fort Magsaysay.
“I found myself inside a newly painted room, roughly four by five meters with barred windows, the outside of which was boarded with plywood panels.”
At some point, Ninoy went on a 40-day hunger strike until Father Horacio Dela Costa was able to talk back to continuing the fight. He was able to dodge a firing squad sentence and continued on his imprisonment for 7 years.
3 YEARS REMAINING
However, in 1980, Ninoy had a heart attack in his cell that required emergency surgery. He was able to strike a deal with Marcos Sr. and agreed that he and his family would remain exiled to America where he will receive a successful heart by-pass procedure and be silent of criticisms of the Marcoses.
Unsurprisingly, after the surgery, Ninoy took back his words and started giving lectures in several colleges and rallies regarding his comments on the Marcos Administration. Among those was in 1981 where he gave his most iconic speech at the ‘Movement for Free Philippines’ in Los Angeles.
“I have asked myself many times: Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying for? Is he not a coward who would 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 faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for.”
1 DAY REMAINING
Many of Ninoy’s relatives and friends advised against his return in fear of his imprisonment or assassination but he believed that it was time for him to come back and in an effort to convince and reason with Marcos Sr. to give back democracy to the Filipino people.
On August 21 1983, Ninoy, under the fake name of Marcial Bonifacio, had finally landed on Philippine soil after a series of connected flights with his last on Taipei. Many of his supporters are waiting for him, adorning yellow t-shirts and ribbons. Seated back on his airplane as Ninoy is interviewed before boarding out of the plane.
“Now if it’s my fate to die by an assassin's bullet then, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction or fear of assassination and therefore, stay in a corner. I have to suffer with my people, I have to lead them because of the responsibility given to me by my people.”
There were 3 uniformed officers that escorted him through the cabin, tension filled as they lined up to leave the aircraft. Made his way out of the plane, along with those who came with him on the flight– BANG. BANG.
Aquino’s body lay on the tarmac, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. It did not take long for the news of his death to come out, many of his supporters joined the Aquinos in mourning and commemorating the bravery of Ninoy Aquino. His mother thought back to the fast-paced life her son took was because he knew that he would have a short life.
No less than 3 years later in February 1986, Filipinos put aside all differences and marched hand by hand and sought for the freedom they deserved. In 3 days, they etched democracy back into their lives and in the book of history. As they demonstrated one of the most strongest non-violent revolutions that ousted the Marcoses off their throne of tyranny.
Though he was but a soul then, the Filipinos finally understood what Aquino and others who died before had realized earlier on.
The Filipino people are worth dying for.
__________
Credits:
https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/from-senator-to-prisoner-the-story-of-ninoy-aquino/
https://peopleasia.ph/ninoy-in-the-eye-of-memory/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKXX25ViKYM&t=306s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wex9Q3cWU3Q
https://youtu.be/j00mlRBxlNk?si=vulpO5Ar8yF9nHtr
Photos from:
Ayala Triangle
Bantayog ng mga Bayani
My Hero Project
