Avsecom van in Aquino assassination now a wreck, up for restoration

The van of the Aviation Security Command that carried Benigno Aquino Jr. following his assassination at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983 is now dilapidated and littered with graffiti.

A Facebook post by historian Ambeth Ocampo has pictures of the van in a derelict state with one of its tires badly damaged. The seats and engine appear to have already been taken off.

The iconic letters that spelled Avsecom remain legible on its side even as it had graffiti inside the cab.

Ocampo said the van was up for restoration.

"Now a wreck with graffiti, the now iconic Avsecom van where it is believed Ninoy Aquino died on August 21,1983 awaits restoration before display in the Human Rights Museum," Ocampo said.

"It is believed that Ninoy was still alive when taken in the van but he was not taken directly to a nearby hospital where his life could have been saved. That van witnessed it all but cannot speak," he added.

Ocampo said the Aquino assassination in 1983 triggered a widespread anger among Filipinos that he said resulted in the EDSA Revolution and the ouster of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos three years hence.

"Ninoy’s assassination made us resolve: 'Sobra na. Tama na. Palitan na!' An anger that concluded with EDSA 1986," Ocampo said.

"Please share and remember," he added.

The 36th anniversary of the assassination will be observed as a non-working holiday on Wednesday. —NB, GMA News