Aquino has 1st public appearance in school run by anti-martial law nuns

Citizen Noy enjoys a light moment on stage with INQUIRER Lifestyle editor Thelma Sioson San Juan (left) and INQUIRER reporter Nikko Dizon, both Theresian alumnae. PHOTO BY: DESIREE PERALEJO-MEDINA

MANILA, Philippines—FORMER PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III made his first public appearance on Friday night where he spoke about the lessons from martial law, saying it was it was time for others to make their voices heard in the protest against having the dictator Ferdinand Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“I’ve kept quiet about the Marcos burial because I’ve had so many years to say my point and it’s time to hear everybody else’s point. Isn’t it that they have (now) shared their own stories?” Aquino said.

Aquino spoke at St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City, where he met with the missionary sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the ICM nuns, who played a vital role in the struggle to regain the country’s democracy.

He spent time speaking with Sr. Iluminada Torres, also known as Sr. Luming, and Sr. Consuelo Varela, also known as Sr. Consuy, who both smuggled the letters of his late father, the democracy icon Benigno Aquino, Jr. out of prison.

“We need a permanent record of what actually transpired. Isn’t it that there is an attempt (now) to revise history? There was a generation who actually cannot imagine what our generation had to go through. When you cannot imagine, it is easy to say that, ‘Yes, it is fiction’ and afterwards, ‘That never happened. Therefore, we don’t have to be vigilant.’ And we are back to square one,” Aquino said.

Some 250 people attended the martial law forum, mostly Theresian alumnae, their families, and friends, STC high school and grade school students, the faculty, and college students from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).

They applauded and gave the former President a standing ovation as soon as he walked on stage.

Those in the audience, young and old alike, repeatedly thanked him for the past six years.

The event was organized by the STCQC Alumnae Association (STAA) and STC High School 1993. CDG

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