Noynoy contented with fate of ‘mastermind’ in father’s killing

Tarlac Rep. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said he is already contented with what happened to the "mastermind" of his father’s assassination 23 years ago.

Aquino, however, declined to identify who was the mastermind but earlier expressed his belief that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was involved.

"As my father’s son, I am contented with what has happened to those I believe (were) the mastermind. When I was fantasizing in the darkest days of martial law, I couldn’t come up with something worse than what has happened to him and to them," Aquino said.

"So the rest will be left up to God. But, you know, stranger things happen," Aquino told yesterday’s Fernandina Media Forum at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan.

When asked if he honestly believes that Marcos had nothing to do with the murder of his father Benigno Aquino Jr. and Rolando Galman, the alleged communist hit man, the Tarlac lawmaker said he finds it hard to believe.

Aquino went on to mention several people supposedly identified with the Marcoses.

He said some of them even facilitated the entry of Galman to the airport tarmac before he was gunned down, a few seconds after his father.

"The ID that Galman used ostensibly to enter the complex was from a sergeant assigned at the Presidential Security Command," he said.

"Given that context that a lot of these people were serving under Gen. Fabian Ver, it is difficult to surmise that Ver would do anything or would be a participant in anything that Marcos" had not given his express permission.

Aquino said fate caught up with Marcos as his health rapidly deteriorated after the assassination.

Aquino, however, admitted he could not ascertain if the murder of his father would be solved.

"That’s a very difficult question to answer. This is a conspiracy (and) the state recognizes giving the person with the least guilt protection as a state witness to reveal what he knows about the conspiracy," Aquino said.

He said some of those who knew the people behind the murder of his father might have already gone abroad.

On the other hand, Aquino expressed his opposition to proposals of granting pardon or parole to the 14 surviving soldiers convicted for the double murder.

"In that light, why should the state be granting them any favors by giving them pardons or paroles?" he asked.

Aquino said that when his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, was installed into power, one of the priorities of her administration was to differentiate her government from the Marcos regime.

"We were espousing something different," Aquino said.

He also stressed that the Aquino administration made sure that no influence, torture or fabricating of evidence were made during the investigation into the double murder case.

Aquino also doubted allegations that a relative could have been involved in the twin murders.

But he expressed his support to the idea that his late father’s life would be made into a movie.

He expressed interest in the proposal to have actor Cesar Montano play the role of his father with his sister Kris as their mother, former President Cory Aquino.

"My mother is hoping that this film will give justice to him (senator Aquino). I think my father’s incarceration will be highlighted in the film. I assume that my sister (Kris Aquino) will do a good job of portraying my mother," Aquino said.