21/08/2026
𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐘𝐑, 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐘
Since the proclamation of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, the dictatorial government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. targeted and silenced communists, journalists, human rights advocates, and politicians who opposed the administration. According to Amnesty International, 70,000 to 100,000 individuals were arbitrarily arrested and detained without formal charges. One of these individuals was then Senator Benigno Simeon “Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr.
Before his name echoed in the chambers of the government, Ninoy was a journalist first. In 1950, when Ninoy was only 17 years old, he served as the youngest war correspondent in the Korean War for the Manila Times. Due to his writing wits as strong as the strokes of his pen, President Quirino awarded him the Philippine Legion of Honor, Degree of Officer. He was then assigned to cover the atrocities in Indo-China which introduced him to the plights of communist totalitarianism in North Korea and the last forts of French Colonialism in Asia.
Ninoy went from writing articles and capturing stories of the people under different governments, to him becoming a part of his country’s government. In 1955, he entered politics by becoming the youngest Mayor of Conception, Tarlac at just 22 years old. 4 years later, he became the youngest Vice-Governor of Tarlac at 27, and the youngest Governor after assuming the previous Governor’s resignation in 1961. His politics reached national when he won a Senate seat in 1967 at 35 years old – the youngest of the elected senators.
𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧
Ninoy, as a Senator, was an unyielding critic of the Marcos administration. Since the start of his term, Aquino called out several atrocities that the regime has committed. In an article published by People Asia, “Ninoy: In the eye of memory”, Ninoy labeled that the 1967 elections were motivated by “guns, goons, gold”. He also condemned Marcos’ plan of creating a “Garrison state” by “militarizing civilian government officers” and ordaining “overstaying generals” to increase the armed forces budget. Aquino remained reproving of the administration’s opulence in architecture. He criticized First Lady Imelda’s Cultural Center Project, to which he called “a monument of shame”, a palpable contrast to the reality of Manila’s pervading poverty.
When Martial law was declared, dissent was silenced and so was Ninoy.
On the wake of the declaration, Ninoy was arrested along with other members of the opposition and was detained at Camp Crame first and later in Fort Bonifacio. Almost 6 months later, Ninoy, together with Pepe Diokno, was transported to Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija to be put in solitary confinement, riding a helicopter bearing the presidential seal while in handcuffs and blindfold.
Aquino was brought back to Fort Bonifacio on August 27, 1973, where he stood before a Military Tribunal on charges of murder, illegal possession of fi****ms, and subversion. But Ninoy would not be Ninoy without his indignation. He refused to participate in the trial, and instead of pleading not guilty, he delivered a speech condemning the trial. This suspended the hearings.
On March 31, 1975, the tribunal pushed through with the re-investigation of his case. As a protest, Ninoy staged a grueling 40-day hunger strike as his refusal to participate in the trial. Despite his tough efforts, he was found guilty of his charges and was sentenced to death by firing squad on November 27, 1977.
This was one in three instances that Ninoy Aquino escaped his death. The first time was the impoverished state he attained due to his hunger strike. The second time was that he was never executed and was even allowed to run during the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa (Parliament) elections. In prison, he formed the Lakas ng Bayan or LABAN Partylist which gave birth to the famous Laban symbol. However, despite the support LABAN accrued from the masses, the partylist fell to Imelda. The third and last time Ninoy evaded Death was when his time in prison ended in March 1980 because of a heart attack. The Marcos administration permitted him to seek medical treatment in Dallas, Texas, and later on reunited with his family in Boston, Massachusetts. From there, Ninoy wallowed in self-exile.
Even on self-exile and overseas, Ninoy’s mind often left unbridled to think of his country’s current state. His commitment to criticize the grotesque practices of the Marcos regime never faltered, even in distance.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲
When Jose Palma wrote the Philippines’ national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang” on 1899, the last line of the anthem symbolized Filipino sacrifice – ”Ang mamatay nang dahil sayo”. It commemorates the innumerable Filipinos who put their life on the line to defend the country against foreign invaders and to attain independence after 4 decades of colonial rule. 81 years later, another Filipino revamped this line to remind the country of its worth and what it means to fight for freedom. On August 4, 1980, during the Convocation of Asia Society in New York, USA, Ninoy Aquino delivered a speech that later on defined his name or shaped his fate – “The Filipino is worth dying for”.
To some, maybe his speech was a premonition or maybe it was just an inspirational message, nevertheless, Ninoy’s crusade for liberation resumed when he decided to return to the Philippines on August 21, 1983. The Aquino family stated their protests to which Ninoy did not give in to and even responded with, “I’d rather die a meaningful death than lead a meaningless life”.
The Manila International Airport on that day cradled many anticipations. For Ninoy, he hoped to negotiate with Marcos. For Ninoy’s supporters, they looked forward to welcome him while wearing yellow clothes and ribbons. For a bullet in a barrel tucked in clandestine, it awaited a certain target. In these three anticipations, only one saw the light of day. Ninoy’s supporters never got the chance to welcome him and Ninoy Aquino himself never had his hope of negotiation be realized, for the bullet to his head came quick and unexpected.
Ninoy Aquino fell on the tarmac even before his eagerness to see a free Philippines could rise.
His death kindled a flaming fury among the members of the opposition. He became the de facto face of the opposition and the portrait of a rally soon to unfold. Over a million people gathered at Manila Memorial Park to mourn his death while singing “Bayan Ko”.
Ninoy Aquino may have failed in escaping death for the fourth time, but his hopes did not. Because of his demise, many were inspired and captivated to step up in challenging the dictatorship and continue his aspiration of a free Philippines. Unbeknownst to him, the one who would perseverate his legacy would be his own wife, Corazon C. Aquino.
In the Snap Elections of 1986, the incumbent President Marcos and Cory Aquino faced off to vie for the Presidency. Batasang Pambansa declared Marcos the winner on February 15, however, both COMELEC and NAMFREL alleged that the election was a fraud. The Filipinos’ anger was further ignited, hence, on February 22, 1986, a week after Marcos’ supposed win, the people took it up to the streets to inculcate their protest. This stretched into a three-day march, echoing the calls of the people for freedom and resonated the courage of those brave enough to stand for it. On February 25, 1986, the beginning of democracy soon saw the light of day when Corazon Aquino was inagurated and the end of dictatorship felt its own darkness when the Marcos family fled the country.
Democracy was finally restored and the story of Ninoy Aquino pulsed through its revival. Ninoy may have become a fallen martyr, but it was his fall that gave rise to the country’s independence. Indeed, the Filipino is worth dying for.
