Noynoy: ‘Justice for Ninoy’ still not a lost cause

Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. stood for justice in a time of darkness, has been hailed a hero and his likeness graces our currency, but he has yet to receive justice as the end of the prescription period for his murder nears.

Tarlac Rep. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Ninoy’s only son, is keeping faith that justice will be served, that the mastermind behind his father’s assassination will be unmasked, even as the 20-year prescriptive period for the case lapses on Aug. 21.

Two decades after the fact, the identity of the person or persons who masterminded the twin slaying of Aquino and Rolando Galman, the man tagged by the military as the one who shot Aquino, remains unknown.

Noynoy, however, said there is still a chance the Aquino-Galman murder case can be reopened because of new evidence that may surface, the prescription rule notwithstanding.

Under the legal rule of prescription, a crime is considered to have been prescribed if no case is filed against the perpetrators or the penalty has not been imposed upon them. The prescription period for murder is 20 years.

Though 16 people — mostly personnel of the defunct Aviation Security Command (Avsecom) — were charged and convicted for the Aquino-Galman murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, the prescription rule does not apply to those named on the charge sheet as "John Does," Noynoy said.

"According to our lawyers, the prescriptive period starts when the court acquires jurisdiction over the accused and, since there are John Does, the prescription rule does not apply to them," he added.

He said the Aquino family believes that the real masterminds of the double murder that eventually led to the downfall of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos have yet to be brought to justice.

"We believe (we know) who the real masterminds are, but most of them are dead already," he said.

These suspected masterminds include the late former Avsecom chief Col. Luther Custodio, and the late Gen. Fabian Ver, who served as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff and head of the then Presidential Security Command, now Presidential Security Group, during the regime of Marcos.

The Tarlac legislator also said he does not believe his uncle, businessman Eduardo Cojuangco, was involved in any way in the Aquino assassination, despite previous allegations.

Cojuangco was known as a crony of Marcos, but the young Aquino said his father and Cojuangco were actually close, even before their families "parted ways" over Marcos.

Noynoy cited reports of evidence linking Cojuangco to the Aquino-Galman slay, but dismissed these reports as mere coincidence.

"My uncle has never been accused of being stupid," he said. "They said before that many of those involved (in the double murder) came from Central Luzon, but why would you be that obvious?"

Cojuangco’s name could have been floated, he added, to divert attention from the real masterminds.

Noynoy said Ver could not have acted alone and was apparently following orders. Ver fled the country after the February 1986 people power revolt and was never tried before the Sandiganbayan. He died in exile in Thailand in 1998.

It has been reported that Ver wrote a statement on the Aquino murder that was to be opened after his death, but no such document has surfaced.

The Tarlac legislator said his family knows of two individuals who may provide keys to reopening his father’s murder case and resolving it once and for all.

However, these people are now living abroad and "have been well taken care of," he said. They could also have had their identities changed.

House Deputy Speaker Raul Gonzalez, a member of the Tanodbayan at the time of the Aquino-Galman double murder, identified the two people referred to by Noynoy as a certain Colonel Ochoco and Captain Valerio.