‘Filipinos should never forget Ninoy’s sacrifice’

MANILA, Philippines —  Filipinos should always remember the sacrifice and martyrdom of the late senator Ninoy Aquino, whose assassination 42 years ago today restored the country’s democracy, former Manila congressman Lito Ateinza said yesterday.

“We must always remember the lessons of Aug. 21, and vow to never again allow our democracy to be taken away from us! We, as Filipinos, must never forget the relevance of Aug. 21 in our country’s history,” Atienza said.

“On this day,  millions of Filipinos were awakened from their dark slumber. They began to rise up as one and fought to remove the dictatorship, leading to the bloodless People Power Revolution where we regained our freedom and democracy,” he added.

Atienza, a former three-term Manila mayor who also served in the National Housing Authority during the presidency of Aquino’s widow Corazon, also remembered another important event in Philippine history, the infamous Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971.

“The Plaza Miranda bombing on Aug. 21, 1971 started the dark period in our country’s history with the declaration of Martial Law soon after and the rise of the dictatorship,” he recalled.

“We lost our democracy and witnessed the countless kidnappings, murders and enforced disappearances of Filipinos who dared speak out against the dictatorship. Exactly 12 years later, on Aug. 21, 1983, we witnessed the murder of senator Ninoy Aquino,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bam Aquino is expected to attend the wreath-laying ceremony during the 42nd death anniversary of his uncle Ninoy Aquino today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 departure curbside at around 8 a.m., the Manila International Airport Authority said.

Well-known personalities will also join the ceremony, including some officials and members of the August 21 Movement.

Justice for EJK victims

The commemoration of the death of former senator Aquino today will serve as the next leg of the monthlong “Justice for All” campaign, which seeks justice for all victims of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the bloody drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

The Buhay ang People Power Campaign Network, a group created to preserve the memory of the 1986 People Power revolution, will hold a mass at Manila Memorial Park to reflect on the broader impunity permeating the country since the harrowing days of martial law.

The Justice for All campaign was launched on Sunday, coinciding with the eighth death anniversary of 17-year-old student Kian delos Santos, who became emblematic of the drug war victims.

Kiko Aquino Dee, co-convenor of the coalition, said that the deaths of his grandfather and Delos Santos show that history is repeating itself.

“It became clear that what we promised never to happen again in our country has indeed happened,” Dee said.

The campaign will feature a candle-lighting ceremony on Sept. 21 to mark the 53rd anniversary of the martial law declaration.

It will culminate on Sept. 23 at the Dambana ng Paghilom, just as Duterte faces the International Criminal Court pre-trial chamber anew for the confirmation of charges hearing.

No work, no pay

Workers who will not report for work today will not get any pay, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.

In an advisory, DOLE said the “no work, no pay” principle shall apply during special non-working days like today.

To commemorate the death of the late senator Aquino, Aug. 21 has been declared a special non-working day.

However, an employer shall pay the employee an additional 30 percent of the basic wage for the first eight hours of work and an additional 30 percent of the hourly rate for work beyond the regular work hours.

Workers who will be required to work on this day that falls on their rest day shall receive an additional 50 percent of their basic pay for the first hours of work. – Rudy Santos, EJ Macababbad, Mayen Jaymalin