Ninoy Aquino. ED SANTIAGO
TARLAC CITY—If Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. were alive today, he would have expressed his reservations about the openness of his son, President Aquino, to seek a second term, according to a historian here.
Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua, assistant professor of history at De La Salle University, said the late senator fought the term extension of the dead dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Marcos was in the last two years of his second term when he declared martial law in 1972, enabling him to rule until 1986, when a civilian-backed military uprising drove him out of Malacañang.
“So, in my opinion, despite President Aquino’s good intentions of continuing the good things his administration had done, his father would rather opt for the strengthening of the democratic process and institutions, like the Constitution, [instead of allowing his son to run again],” said Chua, who was a guest at the provincial capitol here for the program commemorating the 31st death anniversary of Ninoy.
President Aquino, in a recent television interview, said he was open to a second term. The 1987 Constitution provides only a single six-year term for the president and vice president.
“As a historian, I know that Ninoy fought Marcos. But Ninoy fought against the government in accordance with the [democratic] process,” Chua said.
In his talk, Chua said there should be no doubt that Ninoy was a hero because he gave his life for the Filipino people to enjoy freedom.
He said Marcos and Ninoy were friends and fraternity brothers at Upsilon Sigma Phi in the University of the Philippines. But when Marcos ordered the arrest and detention of Ninoy, their friendship seemed to have ended, Chua said.
“Ninoy was made to suffer. He could have easily told Marcos: ‘Brod, we’re now OK. I don’t want to be jailed anymore. I don’t want to suffer anymore,’” Chua said.
But he said Ninoy did not do it because he felt that as a leader, he had the responsibility to join the Filipino people as they suffered under Marcos.
“And I think that was his greatest moment, not his death … He had a 40-day hunger strike to show his sincerity,” Chua said.
He said Ninoy continued to be relevant today because he showed the people that they could stand up against the government if they saw any wrongdoing. For Ninoy, a leader should join the people if they are suffering, Chua said.
“And because of his sacrifice, our lives now are more free. Whether our lives are better, it’s debatable,” he said. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon