Do you believe the released soldiers' testimony that Rolando Galman was responsible for Ninoy Aquino's death?

C.K. Yeo, Iloilo City: There is not an iota of truth in the soldiers’ testimonies, which are filled with holes. But worry not, as one day the truth shall prevail.  

A. Raquepo, Ilocos Sur: We are not a court of justice to believe or not the testimonies of the released soldiers. Justice has been served. These soldiers were convicted, jailed and pardoned. Let’s move on with our lives.  

The mastermind is still at large

Rico Fabello, Parañaque City: Galman had no reason to kill Ninoy or anybody else that fateful day years ago. Most probably, the mastermind is still out there. As for the released soldiers, I’m sure they know the real score. But then again, the mastermind is still out there.  

Noel Navales, Metro Manila: That’s what the scriptwriters of this double murder wanted everyone to believe. Dead men tell no tales. If you buy into that, the bad guys have won.  

Rey Ibalan, Antipolo City: Galman and the released convicts are just pawns of a highlevel complex crime perpetrated by a scotfree mastermind.  

Pedro Alagano Sr., Vigan City: No, Galman was only a decoy and part of the premeditated and scripted conspiracy to eliminate Ninoy. But who is the mastermind?  

Nick Ocampo, Angeles City: I don’t believe that the soldiers were not responsible for Ninoy Aquino’s death. They must have killed Ninoy. The only issue left is: Who is the mastermind?  

Digoy Coro, Batangas City: The soldiers are in their twilight years and have suffered much. I believe them, though what is important is for us to know who the mastermind is.  

Jess Carpena, Metro Manila: After 26 years, the mastermind wasn’t unmasked. Galman was the triggerman but I consider the mastermind responsible for Ninoy’s death.  

It doesn’t add up

Johann Lucas, Quezon City: No, if it were Galman that did it, then why is it that their bodies were a few feet away from the stairs and the blood on the crime scene didn’t fit with the story?  

Edwin Castillo, Tanauan City: How did Galman know that Ninoy was wearing a bulletproof vest? Japanese sound analysis points to Constable Rogelio Moreno as the shooter of Ninoy.  

Ryan Pahimulin, Rizal: Based on the photos taken during the incident and the testimony of the witnesses, it would have been impossible for Galman to have done it.  

Romie Salvacion, Leyte: The released soldiers’ testimony is unbelievable. Common sense and the video tape will tell you that the soldiers were lying.  

Big, fat lie

Lydia Reyes, Bataan: Never in my life would I believe it. Such a big lie! Rolando Galman was a sacrificial lamb.  

Jose Fabello Jr., Cagayan de Oro City: That is a 26yearold alibi, one that the courts studied thoroughly and exhaustively. A lie a long time ago is still a lie today and will be a lie till kingdom come.  

Ed Ledesma, Iloilo City: Nah, and I don’t believe pigs can fly, either.  

Ruel Bautista, Laguna: The whole world knows who had Ninoy killed.  

Richard Decena, Quezon City: Anyone who believes the freed soldiers’ testimony that Galman shot Aquino is also a liar.  

Hector delos Angeles, Parañaque City: I will never believe their testimony until the day I die.  

Eufrocino Linsangan, Isabela: Everybody knows that Galman was taken from nowhere to take the blame. He’s a fall guy. Even those soldiers don’t believe their joint testimony as it is all lies.  

Ric Vergara, Calamba: The soldiers’ testimony was fantastic  unless Galman was a member of the boarding party of the Marcos regime.  

Jun Totañes, Parañaque City: To say that Galman was the gunman is tantamount to saying that Peter was the one who betrayed Christ, not Judas.  

Gerii Calupitan, Muntinlupa City: My boss Jim Sarthou Jr. and I wrote, “Jesus was killed by soldiers. Jesus, hindi ka nagiisa. Ninoy died to redeem us, etc.” on the blackboard of a Born Again church beside our office to show Marcos that we were not stupid to believe the Galman theory being peddled by the cronycontrolled media. Jim, who swore it was PGMA’s voice on the “Hello, Garci?” tape even offered to prove that a soldier shot Ninoy. To Inbox texter Tony Reyes: I agree with you. Galman killed Ninoy, storks deliver babies, pigs can fly, and Santa Claus will bring you Christmas gifts for being a good boy.  

Felmar Rowell Singco, Allen, Northern Samar: No, I do not believe their statements that Rolando Galman was the one responsible for the death of Ninoy Aquino at the tarmac that fateful day. They are obviously lying.  

No reason to doubt them

Armando Tavera, Las Piñas City: I sincerely believe in what they are saying. What is lacking is the missing link to prove their point.  

Rey Onate, Palayan City: Yes, I believe it was Galman who shot Aquino. It was the burning fact proven in all the hearings made on the case. It is a truth that really hurts so all concerned refuse to accept this. The soldiers are but pawns in the grand drama of the rich and powerful. They are the small guys that became the fall guys and lost everything. Give them a break.  

Dino Monzon, Caloocan City: I see no reason to doubt as they have maintained this tale for over 20 years. Galman was a commie and his obsolete ideology thrives on lies and scams.  

Joey Luison, Caloocan City: I do believe the released soldiers’ testimony that Rolando Galman was responsible for Ninoy Aquino death and to do otherwise will be a folly.  

C.B. Manalastas, Manila: All directions point to Galman as the hired hitman. What the soldiers’ participation was is another question. After languishing in jail for 25 years for a crime they insisted they didn’t commit, magsisinungaling pa ba sila?  

Why are we asking this after 25 years?

L.C. Fiel, Quezon City: Why are we still asking the question after 25 years? Whoever did him in, if he’s dead, must be rotting in hell, and, if still alive, is living in his own hell.  

Manuel Abejero, Pangasinan: They may be telling truth, or sustaining a lie. Nakabitin tayo sa balag ng alanganin o ng pagsisinungaling. We deserve to know the truth, the denouement!  

Mary Francis Valino, Metro Manila: Guilty or not, let’s just leave things to Christ’s courtroom. In Him no one is accused and no one is convicted. Ppeace and justice be with us all.     

Jayson Biadog, Mandaluyong City: It’s over, it’s time to forgive and forget like Jesus would have us do.  

The soldiers are still following orders

Ed Alawi, Davao City: It could not be established now who actually shot Ninoy but these soldiers seemingly followed orders to the letter even at the expense of their lives.  

Leonard Villa, Batac City: I don’t believe it. The soldiers were just sternly told to sing the same tune and never change the lyrics no matter what happens. They became shock absorbers.  

Gerry del Cano, Muntinlupa City: I don’t. From the words of M/SGT.P. Martinez in 1994, he was ordered to bring Galman to MIA on that fateful day of Aug. 21, 1983. Galman was a decoy. It was impossible for Galman to cross, by himself, the perimeter that was secured for Ninoy’s arrival. He was a dead pigeon before he could poke and shoot Ninoy. The theory leads to an assassination plot against Sen. Ninoy Aquino, using Avsecom as the executioner. The case was declared closed but the wounds of Sen. Ninoy Aquino’s family and that of Rolando Galman have yet to heal.  

William Gonzaga, Marikina City: Absolutely not. With the powerful mastermind still around to orchestrate the elaborate military conspiracy of Ninoy’s murder, these soldiers would never deviate from the diabolical script even the slightest bit. It’s likely that the evil genius is still using unlimited resources to weave the tale of Galman being Ninoy’s assassin. With billions stashed away during the Marcos era, it’s easy to play again a masterpiece that may try to rewrite history by claiming Galman as the true killer of Ninoy, a myth to disabuse the public mind.  

Case unclosed

Concepcion Gaspar, Laoag City: The released soldiers’ testimony that Galman was the assassin only made Aquino’s death a mystery. Nobody dared reveal the mastermind because doing so would only make their lives more risky, while remaining silent would make their stay in prison safer with the hope of commutation or pardon.  

Joe Nacilla, Las Piñas City: Whoever says yes or no to the testimony that Galman was responsible for the death of Ninoy Aquino are people dangerously drifting towards the world of makebelieve engrossed with innuendo and gossip, on speculation and rumor and the easy acceptance of myth as truth. If my memory is correct, the released soldiers were convicted as accessories to the crime. The court was not able to prove beyond reasonable doubt who really shot and ordered the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, how much more ordinary Filipinos who only depend on news reports heard on radio and TV?  

Ella Arenas, Pangasinan: Owing to the incidents of this twoandahalfdecadeold case, it would be hard for us to analyze all the details that would really point to Galman. Besides, it’s easy and convenient for the soldiers to put the blame on someone who has already died, but on the other hand, they may have a point because they know the details of the surrounding circumstances better than we do.  

Tony Vasquez, Negros Occidental: Why believe them? Justice may be blind but it has sophisticated devices. The JFK and Rabin cases, still unsolved, are tangible. Any criminal lawyer would know this.  

Felma Aguilan, Cagayan de Oro City: Not at all, but then wala tayong pruweba, kaya we remain helpless onlookers for the rest of our lives.  

Only an iota of the whole truth

Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: The testimony of the soldiers that Rolando Galman shot Sen. Ninoy Aquino earned them the ire of the people; hence, we felt justice was given finally when they were handed down life sentences. The conspiracy was, however, so carefully planned that even some of the plotters did not know all the details, making their own testimonies only an iota of the whole truth. I can believe that they were honest, but as to the truth, I have reservations. How could Rolando Galman be there in a supposedly tightly secured area?  

Ishmael Calata, Parañaque City: I believe that the only ones who know who the trigger man was are the planner, the trigger man himself (maybe dead now), and some of those convicted soldiers. If the story were true, those soldiers did not come from the same military unit or service and they did not know each other’s role until that fateful day. If that were the case, how could they know who the brains behind the plot is? If the trigger man followed the escorted senator down the ramp and shot him there, the escorts wouldn’t even know his identity and couldn’t run after him as they were all unarmed. Obviously, the killer of Galman was a different trigger man and, just like the former killer, his identity couldn’t be placed by the accused soldiers who were on the tarmac. All these are based on the hearings and on speculations hotly discussed in conversations at the time.  

Nothing will come out of this

Eddie Yap, Kabankalan City: Galman’s case has been dragging on for many years. As usual, the case has been resurrected only to be relegated again to oblivion after some time. This controversy has become like a broken record. Believe me, nothing will come out of this recent development. The matter is bound to take a backseat with no results, but expect it to resurface after a while.  

They were part of the conspiracy

C.B. Fundales, Bulacan: No, the conspiracy in Ninoy’s murder was beyond doubt. Galman could have been the triggerman but everyone in the conspiracy was equally responsible.  

Jose Parco, Aklan: Okay, okay. Since they’ve been telling this story for the nth time we might as well believe them. However, if Galman really did Ninoy in, then they’re also part of the whole conspiracy. Just think about how security was very tight. Di mahulugang karayum, but the released soldiers made sure that Galman had access to Ninoy and, with their help, set up Galman for the kill! Again, again, again, it’s so elementary, my dear Watson.  

Merlino Quinsay, Ilocos Sur: Maybe, but Galman couldn’t have done it unaided.  

Juan Eduardo, Baguio City: Even if Galman did pull the trigger, all who knew he’d be there and all who covered it up are equally guilty of murder.  

Nony de Leon, Bulacan: Definitely. Their role was to kill Galman after he had killed Ninoy. Their team leader should know who ordered those killings.  Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte

Ninoy was shot by Galman who was then shot by the soldiers. Instead of trying to discover who hired Galman and planned the crime, the government took the politically easy way and convicted the soldiers who were not in on the plot and clearly not guilty of shooting Ninoy.  

Eric Gopilan, Quezon City: I do believe that Rolando Galman is guilty of assassinating Benigno Aquino and when he was done, the soldiers disposed of and killed him as instructed.  

Ricardo Tolentino, Laoag City: I do believe them but they are still part of the conspiracy to kill Aquino. They contracted Galman to do the dirty work and also killed him in the end.  

Dave Velasco, Marinduque: Since it was a secret conspiracy but a complex military operation, I intend to believe Galman was the compelled assassin.  

Galman was a fall guy

Marc Avisado, Ilocos Sur: The Avsecom soldiers were just pawns in an international conspiracy to assassinate former Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. The hitman Rolando Galman had been long dead before the China Airlines plane landed at Manila International Airport (MIA) on August 21, 1983. He was the fall guy. Who then has the power to order a contingent of 1,200 military and police personnel to secure MIA’s tarmac? Dead men don’t tell tales.  

Robert Young Jr., San Juan: If you want to assassinate a person, would you entrust it to a hired killer who has no way of escaping after he had killed his target? And how could Galman possibly penetrate the tight security at the airport? Ninoy must have been killed by one of his military escorts. “Pusila, pusila! (Shoot, shoot!)” was heard seconds before he was killed. Galman was then killed to take the blame. Euphoria could have driven the convicts into giving testimonies reiterating Galman responsible for the murder which is another way of covering up for their crime. This is a common reaction amongst criminals who, one way or another, got away with their crime.  

Rose Leobrera, Manila: I’m very positive it was not Galman; it was one of them. Galman was the scapegoat. He was also killed by one of the freed soldiers. Poor Galman and family. They all became a part of plot. The Filipino people aren’t stupid to believe their tales. Even if, according to the PAO chief, they are old and sick and can’t do any harm, they can still do something good and worthwhile. They can write their memoirs, so that at least history will know who was the man behind this heinous crime.  

Patrick Miranda, Marikina City: The released soldiers are not the masterminds, but I certainly believe that Galman was just a fall guy.  

Jim Veneracion, Naga City: I didn’t believe them then and I don’t believe them now either. Galman was a fall guy and he was already “double dead” while lying stiffly on the tarmac.  

No such thing as a perfect crime

Sahlee Reyes, Las Piñas City: A big no! I am firm in my conviction that Galman was only a scapegoat. The execution of the crime was wellplanned but it obviously had many loopholes. Mahusay ang mastermind at ang mga kampon niya but there is no such thing as a perfect crime. Someday God will lay His wrath unto those who, in one way or another, had a hand in this heinous crime and suppressed the truth.  

Galman was also a victim

Dianne Aquino, Caloocan City: I think that no one in his right mind would ever believe that testimony then and now. Rolando Galman, like Ninoy, is a victim of the military.  

Rodolfo Talledo, Angeles City: By all means, yes. Galman was recruited solely for that purpose, unaware that he’ll be killed on the spot to give a semblance of truth to this dramatic twist.  

Benjamin Nillo, Las Piñas City: There’s no grain of truth to the released soldiers’ testimony. Galman was there not as a legitimate member of the group but just as a prop, gunner.  

Osmundo Lim, Caloocan City: How could Galman kill Ninoy Aquino when the latter was still at the stairs of the airplane when he was gunned down?  

Elpidio Que, Vigan City: The testimony that Rolando Galman was the Ninoy Aquino gunman would not even pass as a Carlo Caparas komiks plot. He was not in the airplane when Ninoy was being shot. He first saw him on TV sprawled right beside the dead Ninoy, clearly appearing as a “double dead” prop. Any Ludlum novel lover would junk the story that Galman was the gunman. He was only a peripheral hoodlum with no grudge on Cory’s husband. Granting that he had the reason to kill Ninoy, why would he risk his life shooting him there when he should know that there would be a swarm of soldiers around? Galman did not know that he was a walking dead man when sent to the tarmac. We can do the math.  

What if it went some other way?

Leandro Tolentino, Batangas City: I don’t know, but I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to the Philippines if it were the sickly Marcos who was instead assassinated at that time.  

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