NO MORE CONFETTI | Supporters of the late former Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, leave yellow ribbons tied around his monument at Ayala Avenue, the scene of huge protests after his assassination on Aug. 21, 1983. (Photo by RICHARD A. REYES / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has yet to come out with official activities, if any, on Ninoy Aquino Day, a nonworking holiday that falls on Monday this year.
But Ninoy Aquino Day, which commemorates the assassination of former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. 40 years ago today, is missing in the calendar of commemorations and activities the commission issued for August — which has been observed as History Month for 11 years now.
The calendar and materials were published in July on the Facebook page and Google Drive of NHCP, an agency of the Office of the President.
Ninoy Aquino Day was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Feb. 25, 2004. The holiday commemorates Aquino’s murder upon his arrival in Manila, after three years of exile in the United States, on Aug. 21, 1983.
The death of Aquino, the leader of the opposition to Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was a turning point in the strongman’s rule, leading to his ouster in the Edsa People Power Revolution three years later on Feb. 25.
Republic Act No. 9256, which establishes Ninoy Aquino Day, also mandates the Edsa People Power Commission to “plan and implement appropriate ceremonies for the observance.”
In November 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 47 designating the NHCP chief as ex officio chair of the Edsa People Power Commission. The two bodies are currently headed by scholar and writer Emmanuel Franco Calairo.
August was declared in 2012 as History Month by the late President Benigno Aquino III, Arroyo’s successor and only son of the slain senator.
Aquino’s Proclamation No. 339 serves to “emphasize the most significant turning points” in Philippine history.