Edsa posters bear Ninoy Aquino’s words to his only son
ALANAH TORRALBA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—“There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland. No greater people than our own. Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and with all your strength.”
These words by Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. to his son, President Benigno Aquino III, will be shared with students in his hometown of Concepcion in Tarlac province on Feb. 25, the 29th anniversary of the People Power Revolution or Edsa I.
Many Filipinos consider the assassination of Ninoy as he returned from exile in the United States on Aug. 21, 1983, to have been the catalyst for the bloodless revolution that toppled strongman Ferdinand Marcos from power in 1986.
Ninoy’s message, expressed in a letter written from his prison cell in Fort Bonifacio on Aug. 25, 1973, will echo in classrooms at Sto. Niño Elementary School through posters made by Project Saysay with help from the Tarlac State University Supreme Student Council and the Center for Tarlaqueño Studies.
In the letter, Ninoy spoke as a father, giving his son, Noynoy, advice in dealing with life, especially difficult circumstances, and entrusting the family to him.
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Not exclusive to son
But Ninoy’s words serve more as a reminder to Filipinos than exclusively to his son, said Ian Christopher Alfonso, Project Saysay founder.
Founded in May 2013, Project Saysay has distributed 586 posters to 277 classrooms and libraries all around the Philippines.
The project began with three posters given to a classroom in a school in a Gawad Kalinga village in Tarlac. More posters followed, made through the kindness of volunteers who learned about Alfonso’s work through an Inquirer story in June 2013.
Wisdom of great Filipinos
“Bring to every classroom the words of wisdom of great Filipinos” is Project Saysay’s commitment, Alfonso said.
The posters, measuring 30.5 by 46 centimeters, were featured in the summit of 200 student leaders assembled by BayaniTayo (The Association of Youth Organizations) in this city on Feb. 6.
Twenty posters from the summit will be given to the Philippine High School for the Arts on Mt. Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna province.
The Concepcion school will also get posters with the insights of Dr. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria de Jesus, Emilio Jacinto, Jose P. Laurel, Apolinario Mabini and Ramon Magsaysay.
Project Saysay has been extended to public areas and schools through the Tanghal Bayani exhibit and Kwentong Bayani lecture in Bulacan in September 2014 with the support of the Bulacan provincial government. In August, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) picks up the activities in time for the 80th anniversary of the Philippine Commonwealth.
Filipino youth not sleeping
“I’m one of the [young] Filipinos who can prove that the Filipino youth are not in slumber,” Alfonso said.
More young Filipinos are into this form of showing love of country, one of Edsa I’s trademarks.
The Valenzuela City Arts and Culture Council has linked up with Project Saysay to tap local artists to make 3,118 posters for 1,559 classrooms in 58 schools, Alfonso said.
The project’s Facebook page launched the KILOStration project that is collecting used 38.1 by 51 cm illustration boards to make frames for posters and inviting artists to join in and make posters.
More posters
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines donated 100 illustration boards while several artists shared digital artworks and sketches.
The Katipunan da ring Talasaliksik at Talaturong Kapampangan and The Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) alumni community in the Cordillera are making posters in Kapampangan and local languages in the region.
Project Saysay can be reached through www.facebook.com/psaysay.
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