FEATURE
Ronalyn Mawili
Remembering Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino Jr.
August 21 was declared “Ninoy Aquino Day”, a special non-working holiday that commemorates the death anniversary of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., by virtue of Republic Act No. 9256 signed on February 25, 2004.
Aquino was born on November 27, 1932 in Concepcion, Tarlac to Benigno Aquino Sr. and Aurora Lampa-Aquino. He was the second of seven children and a part of a prominent land-owning family with a rich political history.
In 1954, Aquino married Corazon Cojuangco, the daughter of another land-owning family from Tarlac and his childhood acquaintance.
Aquino was a prominent journalist and politician in the Philippines.
He served the province of Tarlac as the mayor of Concepcion, provincial vice governor, and provincial governor.
As a senator of the 7th Congress, Aquino was the chief opposition leader during the era of Martial Law in the Philippines under former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Aquino was one of the first to be arrested after the abolition of Congress and declaration of Martial Law in 1972. The morning after the declaration, he was arrested along with other members of the opposition and detained first in Camp Crame and later in Fort Bonifacio.
Aquino was put through military trial, charged with murder, illegal possession of firearms, and subversion.
He endured seven years of incarceration, being sentenced to death in November 1977.
In 1980, Marcos commuted the death sentence and allowed Aquino to seek medical treatment in the United States for a heart condition.
He sought medical treatment in Dallas, Texas, and later settled down in Newton, Boston, Massachusetts with his family, where he spent his time in self-exile.
After staying in the United States for three years, Aquino returned to the Philippines.
Upon his return, Aquino was shot in the head on August 21, 1983 before he could set foot on the tarmac of then Manila International Airport, later renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
His assasination in broad daylight at the heavily guarded tarmac sparked anger among Filipinos, leading to a chain of events that would eventually lead to the People Power Revolution of 1986.
Aquino was born on November 27, 1932 in Concepcion, Tarlac to Benigno Aquino Sr. and Aurora Lampa-Aquino. He was the second of seven children and a part of a prominent land-owning family with a rich political history.
In 1954, Aquino married Corazon Cojuangco, the daughter of another land-owning family from Tarlac and his childhood acquaintance.
Aquino was a prominent journalist and politician in the Philippines.
He served the province of Tarlac as the mayor of Concepcion, provincial vice governor, and provincial governor.
As a senator of the 7th Congress, Aquino was the chief opposition leader during the era of Martial Law in the Philippines under former Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Aquino was one of the first to be arrested after the abolition of Congress and declaration of Martial Law in 1972. The morning after the declaration, he was arrested along with other members of the opposition and detained first in Camp Crame and later in Fort Bonifacio.
Aquino was put through military trial, charged with murder, illegal possession of firearms, and subversion.
He endured seven years of incarceration, being sentenced to death in November 1977.
In 1980, Marcos commuted the death sentence and allowed Aquino to seek medical treatment in the United States for a heart condition.
He sought medical treatment in Dallas, Texas, and later settled down in Newton, Boston, Massachusetts with his family, where he spent his time in self-exile.
After staying in the United States for three years, Aquino returned to the Philippines.
Upon his return, Aquino was shot in the head on August 21, 1983 before he could set foot on the tarmac of then Manila International Airport, later renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
His assasination in broad daylight at the heavily guarded tarmac sparked anger among Filipinos, leading to a chain of events that would eventually lead to the People Power Revolution of 1986.
Aug 21, 2022
