Ninoy will never be forgotten

On April 20, 1985, the Asian Wall Street Journal ran a headline saying: Aquino Revolution Fades with Apathy. The critical subhead added Filipino Public Protests Dwindle, and Trumpeted Trial Draws Few.   This piece had been written by Tony Spaeth, a journalist whose articles are usually printed in Time Magazine.

After 25 years, former President Cory Aquino in a talk she delivered at St. John Bosco Parish in Makati wondered if the people whom Ninoy deemed were worth dying for would still remember him a quarter of a century later. She said that it was even more difficult to ponder on whether young Filipinos who never really got to know Ninoy would retain something of him in their memory that would go beyond the name of the airport, the face on the P500 bill, or a paragraph in a history textbook.

Today, 30 years after his death we continue to be faithful to Ninoy. We have kept his memory alive every single year since the hour of his death.  We have enhanced the value of his story by retelling it to the young Filipinos.

Revisiting Ninoy and interpreting what he stood for from a contemporary point of view has given our youth a clear perspective of who Ninoy is and the principles he stood for – truth, justice, spirituality, democracy and human rights.

Ninoy’s spirit has never left us especially in times of trouble.  We continue to look up to him hoping that we can find an answer to the problems we now face in this country.  Indeed, he is a pillar of strength in our midst.

And in the present time, as his son leads this nation we fervently pray that Ninoy will guide P-Noy and lead him on the right track.  That the legacy he has left and the memories of what he stood for should be a strong reminder and inspiration to his son.  Yes, I guess this is such a difficult wish or prayer for one who doesn’t even seem to know which road to take.  Actually, it feels like a zigzag.

I notice a strong inconsistency in P-Noy’s leadership.  Sometimes it’s up and sometimes it’s down.  Sometimes it’s happy and sometimes it’s sad.   Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad.  It really seems bi-polar to me.   I think we need to clearly see which road he is taking us through so that we can feel more secure.  We’ve had enough surprises.  We have become a paranoid lot.  Susmariosep!

We need “one direction” not all the wrong turns. Where is the daan na matuwid? 

Unlike his father who had a good, clear and strong conviction about leading our people (which he openly spoke about), P-Noy continues to play a game.  Yes, he is working hard but not hard enough to stop the controversies and scandals involving his men. His drive against corruption is laudable but he has yet to prove to us that he is fair in passing judgment to those who err.  He should be more decisive in choosing which road to take.  He must never falter in making difficult decisions no matter how much it hurts.  He must make sure that work gets done and not just listen to reports.  He must let go of those close to him who have been implicated in anomalies and have brought him nothing but shame and embarrassment.  He should not fear being alone because he has the people of this nation to back him up. 

I remember my late father Maximo V. Soliven who never failed to talk about Ninoy as a hero. In Mr. & Ms. Magazine, a weekly published in the early eighties, he wrote:  Under the frowning threat of the Marcos hegemony, Ninoy Aquino will never be forgotten, his ‘revolution’ will never fade, for he gave us back our pride. And the once monolithic and seemingly invincible Marcos regime will never be the same again.

Ninoy, showed us that one brave man can turn the tide. And that courage, like cowardice, is contagious. Let us ask no more of him. Mr. Marcos and his cohorts have performed a useful function. They have held a mirror up to our faces and showed us what kind of people we are. As our hero Dr. Jose Rizal put it so bluntly and so well: Tal pueblo, tal gobierno (As the people are, so is their government).

On that fateful August 21, 1983, from Ninoy’s bloodstained shirt on the Manila airport tarmac had been recovered the “arrival statement” which he never got to deliver. In it were the lines: “According to (India’s Mahatma) Gandhi, the willing sacrifice of the innocent is the most powerful answer to insolent tyranny that has yet been conceived by God and man.”

Against the grim and ludicrous backdrop of these confusing times, with so much disparaging and discouraging talk in the air, rumors of once and future coups spiced up with paranoia and embroidered with silly allegations of assassination “plots”, we have the need of being reminded that this disappointed nation once produced a man who was constant and brave.

Ninoy was a lonestar, pointing to our true heart. He said when he came back to face the destiny of his death that “the Filipino is worth dying for”. Remembering him today is a challenge to ourselves to demonstrate that worth.  He had courage, persistence, and love.

When he was assassinated at the airport there was an upsurge of anger throughout the country and three million defying the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos marched at his funeral – our own Long March which covered many kilometers and lasted from early afternoon to the darkness of night. Yellow ribbons were everywhere, and on every lip, as well as tagged on every breast, was the slogan “Hindi ka nag-iisa” (You are not alone).

We have found Ninoy in our hearts.  But finding P-Noy is quite complicated.  It is difficult.  Here is hoping that his father’s spirit lives in his heart so that he can continue to fight for this country without question or doubt!