Rodrigo Duterte is no Ninoy —Palace, Aquino family, allies

Malacañang on Monday said it would be far-fetched to compare former President Rodrigo Duterte to the late Senator Benigno ''Ninoy'' Aquino Jr., noting that the latter has no record of crimes against humanity. 

This, as Vice President Sara Duterte said his father might suffer the same fate as the slain senator if he were to go back to the Philippines.

''Ninoy Aquino Jr. ka. Ang sinabi niya akin, sabi niya kung ganyan ang kapalaran ko then so be it basta lang mauwi ako sa Pilipinas (You might suffer the same fate as Ninoy Aquino Jr. He told me if it was his fate, so be it as long as he will return to the Philippines),'' Sara recalled to supporters her conversation with her father.

The Vice President attended the gathering at The Hague of the supporters of the former president  ahead of his birthday.

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said the comparison is too far as Duterte even compared himself to Hitler before. It was in 2016 when Duterte remarked that he was willing to do what Hitler did to the Jews to the country's criminals.

''Inihahalintulad ba ni VP Sara ang kaniyang ama sa yumaong Ninoy Aquino? Parang hindi po natin nadinig noon na inihalintulad ni dating Pangulong Duterte ang sarili niya kay Ninoy kung hindi kay Hitler. Mayroon po siyang sinabi mismo, sinabi pa niya dito and I quote, 'Hitler massacred three million (actually, supposed to six million Jews). Now there is three million, what is it? Three million drug addicts in the Philippines – there are. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have me,''' Castro said. 

(VP Sara is comparing his father to late Senator Ninoy Aquino? We never heard former President Duterte comparing himself to Ninoy but to Hitler. He made a remark, and I quote, ''Hitler massacred three million (actually, supposed to six million Jews). Now there are three million, what is it? Three million drug addicts in the Philippines – there are. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have me.')

''So, napakalayo pong ipakumpara ang dating Pangulong Duterte kay Ninoy Aquino na hindi nagkaroon ng anumang record ng mass murder or crimes against humanity. Mas ninais po ni dating Pangulong Duterte na ikumpara ang sarili niya kay Hitler,'' he added. 

(It's far-fetched to compare former President Duterte to Ninoy Aquino as the latter had no record of mass murder or crimes against humanity. Former President Duterte preferred to compare himself to Hitler.)

Aquino family, allies

In a statement, the family of the slain senator said what happened to Ninoy was very different from Duterte.

"Kung pag-aaralan natin ang kasaysayan, makikita natin na ibang iba ang ginawa kay Ninoy sa pinagdadaanan ngayon ni dating Pang. Duterte (if we will study history, we can see that what happened to Ninoy is very different from what Duterte is experiencing)," the family said in a statement provided by Francis "Kiko" Dee, executive director of Ninoy and Cory Aquino foundation.

Some groups also reacted to the remark of the Vice President, noting that her father could never be Ninoy. 

''Ninoy Aquino came home on August 21, 1983, hoping to talk and convince a very ill dictator Mr. Marcos at that time, to hold free elections and bring back democracy to our country, while President Duterte is hoping to come home and escape accountability to the charge of crimes against humanity,'' August Twenty-One Movement (ATOM) said in a statement. 

ATOM believed that with the upcoming midterm elections, this kind of statement could be part of Dutertes' strategy to ''paint themselves as underdogs."

''Because Filipinos love underdogs, after all. But we are sorry to say that President Duterte is a poor copycat of Ninoy Aquino. He has to answer to the thousands of families who lost their loved ones and were deprived of their due process,'' ATOM said. 

''A due process that he continues to enjoy while in Hague, and being able to employ a respected foreign lawyer,'' ATOM added. 

The group recalled that Ninoy had a chance to live a new life in the United States, however, he chose to go home despite the threats in his life. 

''Ninoy's legacy is rooted in his unwavering opposition to authoritarian rule and his commitment to democratic ideals,'' ATOM said, adding that Duterte did not sacrifice for democracy; rather his term was marked by policies that raised human rights concerns.

Ninoy Aquino was assassinated at the Manila International Airport, now named in his honor, on August 21, 1983.

He was a staunch critic of late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who was succeeded by his widow, Corazon Aquino, following the EDSA People Power Revolution in February 1986. 

Senator Leila de Lima, a critic of Duterte and his policies, also dismissed the claim of Sara saying that Aquino returned to the Philippines knowing it could cost him his life while ''Duterte’s drama today is nothing but a desperate attempt to escape accountability.''

''Justice isn’t swayed by melodrama, only by truth. And history will always know the difference,'' De Lima said. —AOL, GMA Integrated News