Former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday cited and hailed former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s sacrifices that inspired a movement to oust a dictator and restored freedom in the country.
Robredo, in a message to mark Ninoy’s 36th death anniversary, recalled that the opposition leader returned from exile to “resume the long, often lonely fight for freedom in his beloved Philippines” and was assassinated at the Manila International Airport, which is now named after him.
The second-highest elected official of the country also shared that Aquino’s death opened her eyes to the “urgency of the struggle against dictatorship and the imperative for all Filipinos to take a hand in the grand effort to reclaim our freedom.”
Robredo also countered those who “dismiss the significance” of Aquino’s sacrifice, or “question the validity of the movement it inspired,” and those who revise history and claim that the Marcos regime “was not so bad after all.”
“The simple truth is, Ninoy Aquino was a Filipino who gave his life for his country. His love for his homeland was seen not in easy talk or slick PR stunts, but instead blazed brightly through long years of imprisonment, of exile, and in the end, of martyrdom,” Robredo said.
“Many talk about being willing to die for our country. Ninoy was one of the courageous few who actually did,” she added.
The vice president also pointed out that the thousands of Filipinos who sacrificed and fell during the dark years of dictatorship should likewise be honored.
“So when we celebrate the 21st of August, it is not just Ninoy Aquino we remember, but all those like him, both the nameless and the heralded, who gave of themselves so that we could be free,” Robredo said.
“In this remembrance, we express both our deepest gratitude for the sacrifices made on our behalf, and, perhaps more significantly, our persistent commitment to defend the freedom they won back for us,” she added.
Republic Act No. 9256 signed in 2004 declared Aug. 21 as a national nonworking holiday to commemoration Aquino’s death. /gsg
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