Bona Fide text
Remembering Ninoy
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. risked his life to achieve the sought after restoration of democracy in the Philippines way back during Martial Law. When he came back to the country after an exile he was fully aware of the dangers that awaited him. Warned by his political allies, that he will either be imprisoned or killed, he just answered, "If it's my fate to die by an assassin's bullet, so be it". Indeed, Ninoy sacrificed his life in returning the government to the hands of Filipino people and putting an end to the insatiable governance of the late President Marcos.
August 21, 1983, Ninoy made a remarkable heroic act in the entire history of the Philippines. He was fatally shot in the head despite a convoy of security guards all assigned to him by the Marcos government and a contingent of 2,000 military and police personnel on the tarmac. Based on the government investigations, it was claimed that he was gunned down by Rolando Galman, who was immediately shot dead by the aviation security. In the investigation, it was found out that no one actually saw who pulled the trigger. Until post-mortem analyses disclosed that he was shot on the back of the head in close range with the bullet exiting at the chin. Ninoy's case remain unsolved and puzzled the minds of millions of Filipinos until today. We kept on questioning, who was the real mastermind behind his brutal killing?
Ninoy's death was the rebirth of the democracy which was deprived us by Marcos administration. It was his assassination that was pivotal to the downfall of a despotic ruler. It was his sacrificed life in favor of the many Filipinos that made him a modern day hero.
In Ninoy's honor, the Manila International Airport where he was assassinated has been renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and his image is printed on the 500-peso bill. The Philippine Congress even enacted Republic Act (R.A.) 9256, declaring August 21st, the anniversary of his death, as Ninoy Aquino Day, an annual public holiday in the Philippines.
However, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Proclamation No. 1463 setting the specific dates of movable holidays as mandated by Republic Act No. 9492 which rationalized the celebration of the country's holidays. Thus, declaring last Monday as holiday in lieu of August 21, Ninoy's death anniversary. Nowadays, historical dates are movable for practicality reasons and for giving long weekends to every Filipino family. Amidst these reasons, sometimes we tend to question why PGMA's government has always moved holidays especially dates that made a great impact in the Philippine history. I just hope Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., who first introduced Senate Bill 2356, which seeks to declare August 21 as Ninoy Aquino Day, can do something about this.
Moving of dates can be a premise that even this magnificent sacrifice is in real danger of fading from our national memory. Some institutions failed to incorporate Ninoy's death even in Philippine History subjects. In surveys, 5 out of 10 students don't even know who he is and who he was in the Philippine history. Some Filipinos are that ignorant that Ninoy is only remembered every time they hold a 500- peso bill. Worst is, there are Pinoys out there who can't even recognize his face printed on the bill.
Now, let's prove to Ninoy that he is indeed right in saying that "The Filipino is worth dying for." Let us be aware of his heroic act and his importance to our lives and not only the face printed in a paper money. Let's us remember him even in our own simple way, thus a prayer paves way of honoring him as our modern day Dr. Jose Rizal.