Robredo honors ‘nameless’ Filipinos who fought for freedom like ‘Ninoy’
Credit to Author: GLEE JALEA| Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2019 03:56:11 +0000
THE assassination of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. reflects the efforts of Filipinos who fought against a dictatorship, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo said on Wednesday.
In her message on Ninoy Aquino Day, Robredo recalled how Aquino’s death had “inspired a movement” that had put an end to the “rapacious” regime of then president Ferdinand Marcos.
“It was the defining moment for an entire generation: A moment that would inspire a movement that would ultimately bring down the dictator three years later, and bring about a restoration of the freedom Ninoy had given up his life and liberty fighting for,” she said.
“When we celebrate the 21st of August, it is not just Ninoy Aquino we remember, but all those like him, both the nameless and the heralded, who gave of themselves so that we could be free,” she added.
The Vice President also warned against those attempting to revise history in a bid to downplay the movement inspired by Aquino’s efforts against the ruling administration at the time.
“These days, it has become fashionable among certain quarters to dismiss the significance of Ninoy’s sacrifice, or worse, to question the validity of the movement it inspired. These days, there are those who insist, out of self-interest or ignorance, that the Marcos regime ‘was not so bad after all,’ pushing a revised version of history that is not only dishonest but dangerous,” said Robredo.
Aquino died on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport, now called the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where he was assassinated upon his return from a three-year exile in the US.
His death then led to the EDSA People Power revolt, which his wife, Corazon, led in February 1986 that ended the Marcos regime and restored democracy in the country.
GLEE JALEA