There’s
NO MORAL REASON to mark Ninoy Aquino’s death on Aug. 21 as a holiday.
While
he may have died as a critic of former President Ferdinand Marcos, his death
was NOT AN ACT OF HEROISM. And he DEFINITELY WAS NOT THE FIRST OR ONLY critic to
die during the Marcos era.
Ninoy
came home from self-imposed exile in the US in 1983 for his personal agenda,
whatever that was. And not for any heroic purpose. He didn’t come back to lead
an armed revolt against the government, or an attack on Marcos himself or
Malacanang. Thirty-five years after Ninoy’s death, NOBODY among his family and
allies have proven that he had something that could have ousted Marcos or ended
Martial Law at once or not long after upon his return. And Ninoy and everyone else
around him knew that even if he came back, Marcos would not be ousted
immediately.
So
where is the heroism in Ninoy’s death that merits a holiday? If his
determination to come despite the threats to this life is what his allies will
say, that’s not HEROISM. That’s SUICIDE. The very smart guy that he was, Ninoy
knew that he would be a lot more useful alive than dead.
And
for the uninformed, here are some of the anti-Marcos bashers and the years they
were killed, LONG BEFORE Ninoy’s death: Liliosa Hilao, 1973; Archimedes
Trajano, 1977; Edgar Jopson, 1982; Juan Escandor, 1983; Emmanuel Lacaba, 1976;
Ishmael Quimpo, 1981 and Maria Lorena Barros, 1976.
These people fought the Marcos
government HERE AT HOME, FACE-TO-FACE, until their demise. At the height of his
assault on the Marcos government, NINOY WAS N THE US. So if for his famiy’s supporters and allies Ninoy’s
killing merits recognition as a holiday, then THE MORE should those who died
before him be considered heroes and honored with their own holidays. The difference
in the family name DEFINITELY does not make them lesser mortals than Ninoy. 30
you are right...
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