40 Years Later: The Death of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Today, August 21, is a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Philippines. Known as ‘Ninoy Aquino’ Day, it is a holiday enacted by then-President Gloria M. Arroyo on February 25th of 2004 under the Republic Act 9256. On this day, the Filipino people commemorates the ultimate sacrifice that Ninoy Aquino made for the Philippines and its countrymen.
“The Filipino is worth dying for” — an excerpt from Ninoy’s 1980 Speech
This article will trace the life, family and career of the late senator, beginning with his early life, his journalistic & early political journey, and culminating in his tragic assassination in August of ’83. The latter event ignited anguish and deep discontent among Filipinos, ultimately paving the way for the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution.
NINOY & THE AQUINO FAMILY
Born Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. on the 27th of November 1932 to Benigno Quiambao Aquino Sr. and Aurora Aquino of Concepcion, Tarlac; Ninoy was from a family of politicians, military officers, and Hacienderos. His father, “Igno” at the time of Ninoy’s birth, was the Senate Majority Leader of the 3rd District of the Philippine Senate of 1916–35. His grandfather, Servillano Aquino on the other hand once served as a general in the Revolutionary Army of then first Philippine Incumbent: Emilio Aguinaldo.
Ninoy’s father was a known officer who served under Japanese officials during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines (1942–45). Igno was branded a collaborator, a traitor to the motherland, and this left an ugly mark in the mind of the young Ninoy who loved his father dearly. Hence, he was fairly determined to raise the family name (Chua, XIAOTIME, November 27, 2012) .
Ninoy’s family were also known to be owners of Hacienda Tinang, a 200-hectare agricultural land in Concepcion, Tarlac. However, As per the farmers’ collective Makisama-Tinang, it wasn’t until 2016 that the Tinang farmers uncovered their status as the rightful and original owners of the 200-hectare land. This revelation was substantiated by a Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) title presented to them by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) back in 1995 (CNN Philippines, Hacienda Tinang dispute resolved after nearly 3 decades — DAR, May, 2023). Just recently on May of this year, the land was finally awarded back to the local farmers of the land after 3 decades of dispute.
YEARS OF JOURNALISM, POLITICS
Ninoy was once the youngest war correspondent during the Korean War; covering stories and providing news from the Allied Frontlines at the ripe age of just 17 years old. And, merely four years after that, at 21 years old, Ninoy was also credited to the surrender of the notorious HukBaLaHap (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon) Rebel Leader: Luis Taruc. The Huk rebels had been a huge problem in the rural areas of the country — the peace talks, land grants, cooperation, and increased loyalty to the government led to its decline (1946–54).
By December 1955, Ninoy had already got the role of mayor in Concepcion, Tarlac, a position he held until December 1959. Subsequently, he secured victory as the Vice Governor of Tarlac, marking a significant step in his career. His ascent up the political hierarchy continued as he transitioned to the role of governor from 1961 to 1967. Despite his initial lack of widespread recognition, Ninoy’s dynamic and victorious campaigns, including one conducted via helicopter, propelled him to the esteemed position of a senator in the Philippines.
MARRIAGE
Corazon Cojuangco was born into the illustrious Cojuangco family. Her father, José Cojuangco, was a prominent businessman and former congressman in Tarlac, while her mother, Demetria Sumulong, was a pharmacist. With President Ramon Magsaysay as one of the principal sponsor of the wedding, the event was heralded as a very high-class celebration.
Together, Cory and Ninoy would bear 5 children, namely: late and former president Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III, celebrity icon Kristina Bernadette “Kris” Cojuangco Aquino, Victoria Elisa Aquino-Dee, and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, and Maria Elena Aquino-Cruz.
THE PHILIPPINE SENATE (1967–72)
In 1968, during his inaugural year as a senator, Aquino made allegations that President Marcos Sr. was steering the nation towards the establishment of “a garrison state.” Aquino criticized Marcos for inflating the armed forces budget, retaining long-serving generals, and imposing military influence upon civilian government offices (Newton, Michael (2014), Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO. p. 18.).
Ninoy emerged as a consistent critic of the Marcos regime, positioning himself prominently within the department of criticism. His flamboyant rhetoric endeared him to the media, particularly when he delivered his speech titled “A Pantheon for Imelda” on February 10, 1969. In this address, he criticized the inaugural extravagant project of First Lady Imelda Marcos, dubbing it “a monument to shame” while calling its designer “a megalomaniac, with a penchant to captivate”.
The country newspapers ended up calling Imelda names such as “the Philippines’ Eva Peron,” and a woman he [Ninoy] had once courted. Then President Marcos Sr. was reportedly angered by such remarks and called Ninoy a “congenital liar,” while the peers of the First Lady accused the senator of being “ungallant.”
“Ninoy was quoted as saying that Imelda was a beautiful woman but he also called her antipatika” (a disagreeable, unfriendly person) (Baguio Chronicles, Rappler, CLAIM: Ninoy Aquino was hopelessly in love with Imelda Marcos, March 2015).
PLAZA MIRANDA & MARTIAL LAW
The Plaza Miranda bombing marked the definitive emergence of a direct confrontation between Marcos and Aquino. The incident took place during the kick-off rally of the Liberal Party, where the atmosphere was festive with a band playing and a fireworks display captivating the crowd’s attention. However, the celebratory atmosphere was abruptly shattered by two loud and unmistakably non-entertainment-related explosions that reverberated across the plaza. The cause of the chaos was the hurling of two fragmentation grenades onto the stage by “unknown individuals.” Tragically, this act claimed the lives of eight individuals and left 120 others wounded, with many in critical condition.
During the 1971 midterm elections, Aquino was not a candidate, and consequently, he was not present at Plaza Miranda during the time of the incident. However, his absence led some to speculate that Aquino’s associates within the New People’s Army (NPA) might have alerted him beforehand. Numerous historians persist in suspecting Marcos as the mastermind behind the incident, given his track record of employing false flag attacks as a justification for declaring martial law during that period.
Ninoy (alongside Diokno) stood out as among the initial figures, if not the very first, to be apprehended during the early hours following the announcement of Proclamation 1081 in September 1972. Both were confined within Fort Bonifacio on fabricated accusations including murder, illegal possession of firearms, and subversion. Aquino underwent a trial before Military Commission №2, presided over by Major-General Jose Syjuco and subsequently, he was transferred to the facility codenamed at “Alpha” Room at Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.
In 1978, while confined to his prison cell, Aquino was granted the opportunity to participate in the 1978 Philippine parliamentary election. As his fellow members from the Liberal Party were engaged in an election boycott, he took the initiative to establish the Lakas ng Bayan party. This new political entity presented a slate of 21 candidates for the Metro Manila region, with Ninoy himself among them. However, as anticipated, all candidates from the party, including Ninoy, were not elected.
THE 2 HEART ATTACKS AND LIFE IN THE US
In March 1980, Aquino suffered a heart attack while in isolated confinement. He was subsequently transported to the Philippine Heart Center, where he experienced a second heart attack. Electrocardiograms (ECG) and other diagnostic assessments revealed a blocked artery. However, due to concerns about potential political controversies, Philippine surgeons hesitated to proceed with a coronary bypass surgery.
Moreover, Aquino declined to rely on Philippine doctors, citing concerns about possible “duplicity” from Marcos’ administration. He expressed a preference to undergo the medical procedure in the United States or to face the possibility of returning to his cell at Fort Bonifacio and dying there instead. His request was eventually granted, and both Ninoy and his entire family were permitted to travel to the US for the surgical intervention. This arrangement was coordinated after a discreet hospital visit by Imelda Marcos.
The permission was granted under two conditions: firstly, Aquino’s commitment to return, and secondly, his agreement not to express dissent against Marcos while in the US. Following the successful surgery, Ninoy’s recovery was swift, leading him to choose to disregard the agreement, asserting that “a pact with the devil is no pact at all.” Consequently, alongside Cory and their children, he embarked on a new chapter of life in Massachusetts. During this period, he authored two books and delivered a series of lectures, supported by fellowship grants from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His travels within the US evolved into opportunities for him to deliver speeches critiquing the Marcos government.
AN ILL-FATED RETURN TO THE HOMELAND
In the first quarter of 1983, Ninoy Aquino became aware of the escalating political turmoil in the Philippines. Additionally, he had heard rumors about Marcos’ declining health, mirroring the deteriorating state of his country’s political landscape, largely attributed to complications arising from lupus. Ninoy perceived this as a potentially opportune moment to engage with Marcos and rekindle the nation’s path toward democracy, aiming to thwart the ascent of extremists and prevent irreparable consequences for the Filipino people.
Despite warnings about the extreme dangers he would face, Aquino is determined to go, saying:
“If it’s my fate to die by an assassin’s bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction, or fear of assassination, and therefore stay in the side…” (“BBC ON THIS DAY | 21 | 1983: Filipino opposition leader shot dead”. BBC News. August 21, 1968. Retrieved December 30, 2011)
Reports emanating from the Philippine Consular Office underscored the refusal to renew the expired passports of the Aquino family. In response, Ninoy opted to undertake the journey alone, while his family planned to follow suit in the ensuing weeks. In defiance of the travel ban, Ninoy ingeniously managed to secure a valid passport with the assistance of a sympathetic figure linked to a Philippine Consulate. This was facilitated through the efforts of Roque R. Ablan Jr., who held a congressional position at that time. On August 13, 1983, Ninoy’s departure from Logan Airport initiated an indirect route from Boston to Los Angeles, ultimately culminating in Singapore.
Continuing his journey from Singapore, he proceeded through Hong Kong and then on to Taipei. Notably, Taipei was strategically chosen as his ultimate stopover, driven by the knowledge that the Philippines had terminated diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). This calculated decision aimed to provide him with an enhanced sense of security, as the Taiwanese Government could maintain plausible deniability regarding his presence. Consequently, he boarded Taiwan’s flag carrier, China Airlines Flight 811, for his flight to Manila.
Anticipating the worst, in an interview conducted in his suite at the Taipei Grand Hotel, Ninoy revealed his intention to wear a bulletproof vest. However, he also conceded that:
“it’s only good for the body, but in the head there’s nothing else we can do.”
Ninoy also conveyed to the journalists accompanying him, “You have to be very ready with your hand camera because this action can become very fast. In a matter of a three or four minutes it could be all over, you know, and I may not be able to talk to you again after this.” His words seemed to evoke a sense of foreboding, as if he were sensing his own imminent fate.
On August 21, 1983, upon his return to Manila, Aquino was shot in the head. Despite the Marcos government assigning approximately 1,000 security personnel to ensure his safe return to his detention cell, the assassination unfolded. Another individual present on the airport tarmac, Rolando Galman, was swiftly killed shortly after Aquino’s tragic demise. The Marcos administration was said to have propagated a false narrative asserting that Galman had been the perpetrator behind Aquino’s assassination.
In the hours following the tragedy, an autopsy was conducted on Aquino’s remains at Loyola Memorial Chapels in Makati. The subsequent day saw his body lying in state for eight days, with his clothing untouched and no attempt made to conceal the bullet wound that had marred his visage. In a poignant interview with Aquino’s mother, Aurora, she explicitly instructed the funeral parlor NOT to apply any makeup or embalming, wanting to preserve her dearly departed son’s appearance as it was, to bear witness to “what they did to my son.”
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, REPUTATION, AND TODAY’S IMPACT
While Ninoy stood out as the foremost and most vibrant politician of his era, in many years prior to the declaration of martial law, numerous individuals perceived him as a symbol of an established family-based elite that continues to wield influence over Philippine Politics. After all, he did hail from an affluent family with an extensive history in the realm of politics, a legacy that might appear akin to a political dynasty from today’s perspective. Even certain oppositionist students who played an active role in opposing the Marcos Regime recall that during that period, they initially regarded Ninoy Aquino as simply another embodiment of the “traditional politician.”
Nonetheless, the masses gradually came to realize that he transcended this image when he boldly chose to return to the Philippines, ultimately paying the ultimate price with his life and blood for an attempt to free the nation from the desperate iron grip of a terminally ill ruler.
The tragic death of Ninoy marked a pivotal moment that contributed to the peaceful EDSA Revolution of 1986. Following the uprising, the Marcos family was compelled to leave the country, and a rejuvenated republic emerged, shedding the stains of recent bloodshed and authoritarian rule. His life, alongside the efforts of countless many others, played an instrumental role in creating a path towards the freedom that the Filipino people might otherwise never have attained.
Approximately 36 years have passed, and the son of the late Ferdinand Marcos Sr. currently holds the position of the Philippines’ incumbent leader. This day commemorates the 40th anniversary of the assassination of one of his late father’s most vocal critics. As we observe this day, let us hope that the Filipino people continue to embrace and protect their freedom (to which it came at a large expense); may the nation be safe from another nationwide Martial Law, another Jabidah Massacre, another Manila Film Center incident, or another Airport Assassination.
Numerous lives lost during those years remain unaccounted for, and a considerable number of individuals responsible for those tragedies continue to elude justice, even to this day — lest we forget.
Written By: Ralph Lauren Hitosis
