Escaping accountability? Aquino family, ex-lawmaker reject Duterte comparisons to Ninoy
MANILA, Philippines — The family of slain senator Ninoy Aquino refuted Vice President Sara Duterte's comparison of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to the People Power icon, stressing that they are two distinct figures.
Sara has consistently remained silent on holidays honoring Aquino and the People Power movement, particularly the EDSA Revolution anniversary. However, she recently mentioned Aquino in relation to Duterte’s arrest and his turnover to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
“Kung pag-aaralan natin ang kasaysayan, makikita natin na ibang iba ang ginawa kay Ninoy sa pinagdadaanan ngayon ni dating Pang. Duterte,” the family said in a statement released through the Ninoy & Cory Aquino Foundation Facebook page.
(If we study the history, we can see that what was done to Ninoy is different to what former president Duterte is going through.)
Former Senator Leila de Lima also weighed in on the comparison, describing it as "desperate."
“Duterte’s drama today is nothing but a desperate attempt to escape accountability. Justice isn’t swayed by melodrama, only by truth. And history will always know the difference,” De Lima said.
Aquino was a prominent opposition figure during the Martial Law regime under the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of the current president, Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. The late senator was a vocal critic of Marcos Sr. and was eventually imprisoned under his rule.
Aquino went into self-imposed exile in the United States due to health concerns, but he returned in 1983 amid escalating political tensions in the Philippines. Upon his arrival at the country's national airport, he was assassinated.
In contrast, Duterte is far from being in self-imposed exile; he was arrested by the ICC for crimes against humanity. The Philippine government surrendered him to face charges of human rights violations during the drug war.
While the Aquino family has kept their response brief as of now, it was the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), the agency representing Bongbong, that strongly addressed the comparison.
In a media briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro reminded the public that Duterte had previously compared himself to Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany.
“Napakalayo pong ipakumpara ang dating Pangulong Duterte kay Ninoy Aquino na hindi nagkaroon ng anumang record ng mass murder or crimes against humanity. Mas ninais po ni dating Pangulong Duterte na ikumpara ang sarili niya kay Hitler,” Castro said.
(It is so far to compare former president Duterte to Ninoy Aquino, who did not have a record of mass murder or crimes against humanity. Former president Duterte would prefer to compare himself to Hitler.)
Hitler was responsible for the deaths of approximately 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust. In 2016, Duterte made a controversial statement suggesting he would kill three million drug addicts.
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