Ninoy Aquino was no ‘trapo’— QC Vice Mayor Belmonte

By: Erika Sauler - 10 years ago

The late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. did not equate leadership with the position of privilege, a Quezon City official said during Thursday’s commemoration of his 31st death anniversary.

“His brand of leadership is not traditional. He did not equate the position of leadership with the position of power or privilege,” Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said in an interview.

Belmonte and Mayor Herbert Bautista led the offering of flowers at the Ninoy Aquino Park at the corner of Quezon and Timog Avenues.

Maria Elena “Ballsy” Aquino-Cruz, daughter of Ninoy Aquino and sister of President Benigno Aquino III, was invited to deliver a message but she wasn’t able to attend. The Aquino siblings heard Mass for their father at his tomb in the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

“(Ninoy’s) death triggered mass social change. Personally, my dad (former Quezon City Mayor and now Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.) believed that there should be a monument for our hero here,” Belmonte said.

“The Edsa People Power Revolution, which all began with the death of (Ninoy), happened in Quezon City. This is something that we need to highlight in our cultural institutions,” she said, adding that Quezon City has been planning to put up a museum.

The Cry of Pugad Lawin, which marked the beginning of the revolution against the Spanish colonizers, will also be commemorated in Balintawak on Aug. 23.

“We want to promote these events to inspire the youth to become agents of change,” Belmonte said.