Ateneo renames school of government after Ninoy, Cory

"To honor the memory of Benigno S. Aquino Jr. and Corazon Cojuangco Aquino," the Ateneo de Manila University has renamed its School of Government after the two "icons of good governance", the parents of President Benigno Aquino III.

The Ateneo de Manila University said its Board of Trustees approved a proposal to rename the Ateneo School of Government to "Ateneo de Manila University Benigno Aquino Jr and Corazon C. Aquino School of Government."

However, the school's working name will be "Ateneo Aquino School of Government" (AASG).

"It is particularly appropriate to make this decision in August when we commemorate the death anniversaries of these icons of good governance. We also thought that it would be fitting to announce this decision on the eve of the 31st anniversary of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino," the university said in a news release.

The actual renaming of the school will be timed for the August anniversaries of the Aquinos in 2015, and to coincide with the commencement exercises of the school by then.

ADMU cited the "record of public service and the example of heroic leadership that Ninoy and Cory Aquino provide for all Filipinos."

It said it is "specially motivated by its desire for all its students, especially those enrolled in the School of Government, to have models of effective and ethical public servants they can aspire to and emulate."

Former Sen. Aquino was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983 at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, which now bears his name.

The 1983 assassination triggered protests that led to the 1986 EDSA-1 revolt that installed his widow Corazon to the presidency.

Mrs. Aquino held office until 1992 and resisted suggestions to extend her term. She died on Aug. 1, 2009, after a battle with colon cancer.

Remember injustices of Martial Law

The Ateneo administration said renaming the school to honor the Aquinos includes a commitment to remember the Martial Law "period of oppression and injustice."

“We have not forgotten the darkness of those years of dictatorship and that we will not compromise on our principles in forming those who would lead this nation," Ateneo president Fr. Jose Ramon Villarin had said.

Last June, ADMU president Jose Ramon T. Villarin, SJ, apologized amid criticism of the presence of former First Lady Imelda Marcos at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Ateneo Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Acceptance by the Aquino family

The Aquino family, through presidential sister Ma. Elena Aquino-Cruz, welcomed the AdMU's decision to honor their parents.

"The Aquino sisters and the President appreciate this decision, especially since the family did not ask for it and the university is doing this out of its own initiative," the university said.

In a Facebook post, Ateneo School of Government Dean Antonio La Viña said university officials "are conscious that the Aquino name is a live name in Philippine politics."

Dean La Viña also said the school "is at a turning point at which we can leverage our achievements thus far so as to catapult it to a next stage of growth and influence."