Aquino family, allies mark Ninoy’s 42nd death anniversary

Family members and allies of the democracy icon and late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr., marked his 42nd death anniversary with a Holy Mass on Thursday as they looked back at his legacy of bringing hope to Filipinos. 

“Ito ay tungkol sa pagmamahal sa bayan. Si Lolo Ninoy, nagawa niya lahat ng nagawa niya…iyong seven years at seven months na pagkakakulong, umuwi siya kahit may banta sa kanyang buhay…kasi minahal niya ang Pilipinas. Thank you for Lolo Ninoy for showing us that we can really have hope in the dark,” Kiko Aquino-Dee, Ninoy’s grandson, told reporters. 

“The memory of Lolo Ninoy is a struggle, and it is a struggle we are fighting for as long as there are people who reject what happened in the past, as long as there are people who honor iyong mga napanalo natin nung EDSA [People Power Revolution]: iyong karapatang pantao, demokrasya...then there will be people who will always struggle to make sure those values continue to ascend,” Dee added.

(As long as there are people who honor the gains of People Power such as human rights, democracy, then there will be people who will always struggle to make sure those values continue to ascend.)

A critic and opponent of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s administration, Aquino was assassinated upon his return to the Philippines at the Manila International Airport—later renamed NAIA in his honor—on August 21, 1983.

Paying tribute to his uncle, Senator Bam Aquino called on Filipinos to continue fighting for freedom and justice.

In a Facebook post, the senator recalled his memories with Ninoy from when he was imprisoned. 

“Nang pinili niyang umuwi noong 1983, alam niyang mapanganib, alam niyang maaari siyang makulong o mapatay. Pero pinili pa rin niya. Sapagkat para sa kanya, mas mahalaga ang makasama ang sariling bayan kaysa manatili sa Amerika na ligtas at mapayapa,” he said. 

(When he decided to go back to the Philippines in 1983, he knew it was dangerous, he knew he could be imprisoned or killed. But he still chose to go home. Because for him, it was more important to be in his own country than to stay in America where it was safe for him.)

Ninoy’s assassination sparked the People Power Revolution in February 1986 that ousted Marcos, Sr. after a two-decade regime.  

Marcos’s son and namesake, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. was elected President in May 2022. 

In his message for the commemoration of the Ninoy Aquino Day, the President said that the country is ready for leadership that seeks reconciliation, more than four decades after Aquino's assassination. 

"In honoring this day, the Republic signals its readiness to uphold leadership that strives towards wholeness and reconciliation," he said. 

Marcos said that through this observance, "we advance the work of statecraft: disciplined, steady, and shaped by the enduring imperative to choose peace above quarrel, and dignity beyond differences."

Justice before reconciliation

Dee, however, said reconciliation can only happen if there is justice.

“We've been consistent that there's no reconciliation without justice. For as long as there's no recognition of the atrocities that were committed under the Marcos dictatorship, I have a hard time...siguro, hopes springs eternal, pero for as long as there's no such recognition, I don't think there's much to say,” he said.

Dee also urged Filipinos to stay vigilant to ensure that Ninoy’s legacy, and that of the People Power Revolution remains etched in the Filipinos minds and hearts, including the declaration of these days as public holidays for proper commemoration.

The February 25 anniversary of the People Power Revolution was not declared a holiday this year or in 2024. August 21, the anniversary of Aquino's assassination, remains a holiday.

“We will continue to be vigilant not just for this term but in the coming years, so that people will be able to remember what they were able to do from 1983 to 1986. We were able to free ourselves from a dictator. We were able to uplift ourselves from famine, from the doldrums of dictatorship in the Philippines,” he said.

“The story of People Power and Lolo Ninoy make me proud to be a Filipino. Nowadays, we thirst for something that would make us proud to be Filipinos, but the People Power is a timeless proof that we are the pride of our nation,” Dee added.

Historian Xiao Chua, a member of the August Twenty One Movement (ATOM) which seeks to preserve Ninoy’s legacy, said maintaining August 21 as a holiday is already a significant step in honoring the sacrifices of those who fought the Martial Law rule of Marcos, Sr., including Ninoy.

“We are happy that it remains a holiday, and that is why I always say to the President that he should allow it to remain such to allow people to commemorate properly. He gave a statement and we accept it, but we remain vigilant to ensure that there will be good governance under his term. This is what Senator Ninoy fought for,” Chua said.

“Senator Ninoy Aquino was not perfect, but he had genuine love for country. Iyong itataya mo ang buhay mo para sa isang nakapagandang kausa, iyong ipakita mo na [Giving your life for such a great cause, showing that] the Filipino is worth dying for, do we see that same love for country among our officials now?” Chua added. —VAL/BM, GMA Integrated News