Why P-Noy stands by pork barrel

The Filipino nation marks this Wednesday the 30th death anniversary of slain Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. His assassination was the ultimate sacrifice that became a turning point in the fight for the restoration of Philippine democracy. Thus, August 21,1983 has become an important timeline in the country’s history.

Three years after his assassination, his widow, the late President Corazon Aquino was swept into office at the end of the February 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. This people-powered revolution here in the Philippines has inspired other similarly situated countries they can do no less to rise up in arms and topple repressive regimes.

It was only on February 25, 2004 when former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9256 that mandated the observance of Ninoy’s death on August 21 each year as a “special non-working holiday” all over the country. Aside from declaring Aug. 21 as Ninoy Aquino Day, RA 9256 also institutionalized the EDSA Commission.

Three decades later, his namesake son, Benigno “Noy” Aquino III was elected President. Now in the middle of his six-year term, President Aquino is again leading the nation to quietly observe this darkest day in his life as a young man when he lost his father to assassins whose mastermind remains a mystery.

As they have traditionally observed through these past 30 years, P-Noy along with his sisters and their respective families, relatives and very close friends and allies will gather together at the gravesite of Ninoy and Cory at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

This year commemorative activities to observe the event are lined up by the revitalized EDSA Commission and renamed as EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC). Now a foundation, the EPPC is headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa as chairman with former Finance Secretary Jose Pardo as vice-chairman. The board of EPPC is composed of ex-GSIS general manager Cesar Sarino; Millie Kilayco; entertainment personality Ogie Alcasid; Emily Abrera; and Anton Lim as commissioners. Former RTVM chief Maria V. Montelibano is EPPC executive director. 

The EPPC is mandated by RA 9256 to plan and implement appropriate ceremonies for the observance of the Ninoy Aquino Day. Under RA 9256, the EPPC is funded from the annual budget of the Office of the President and from private donations.

The highlight of this year’s commemoration is the wreath-laying rites at the country’s newest passenger terminal Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. A bronze bust of Ninoy has been put up at the NAIA-3 departure area. Incidentally, Ninoy was assassinated at the tarmac of NAIA-1.

NAIA general manager Angel Honrado and Deedee Siytangco, former aide-de-camp and spokesperson, respectively for President Cory Aquino will lead the groups associated with Ninoy during their fight against the Marcos dictatorship and converge at NAIA-3.

These groups include the Laban (Lakas ng Bayan) composed of “original” Ninoy allies who ran with him during the elections of the defunct Batasan like Charito Planas and Napoleon Rama, former Senators Joker Arroyo and Rene Saguisag (who were Ninoy’s lawyers) and Eva Estrada Kalaw.

Also participating are the members of the Chino Roces Foundation who were behind the gathering of two million signatures that convinced Ninoy’s widow Cory Aquino to run against ex-President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1985 snap elections; the August 21 Movement (ATOM) led by his younger brother ex-Sen. Agapito “Butz” Aquino; peace activists from Mindanao, and the Yellow Ribbon Movement.

The NAM-SERVE (or the Ninoy Aquino Movement-Social Economic Reconstruction Voluntary Efforts) headed by former Senator Heherson “Sonny” Alvarez and wife Cecile are doing their own commemoration program at the NAIA-1 tarmac. There will also be another wreath-laying rites at the Ninoy monument in Rizal Park in Manila to be led by Mayor Joseph Estrada and the EPPC. All other activities to pay tribute to the memories of Ninoy’s martyrdom at the provinces are synchronized by the EPPC.

On the occasion of “30 Years Later: Remembering Ninoy,” P-Noy shared his fond memories of his late father in exclusive interview by People Asia Magazine editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez.

Now 53 years old, P-Noy recalled his bitterness on that fateful day: “In all honesty, after I had completed my filial duties, convinced my mother and sisters to leave the Philippines after the funeral, I had thought of exacting vengeance,” he admits…”When I saw the millions, in Sto. Domingo during the wake and during the funeral march to the Manila Memorial Park, I realized I owed dad to try his way of peace. So long they don’t hurt my mother and sisters, I vowed to pursue my dad’s non-violent campaign.”

In the same August edition of People Asia Magazine, it reprinted an article on the  20th death anniversary of Ninoy written by its late publisher as well of The STAR Maximo Soliven “In The Eye of Memory.” From his personal relations with Ninoy, Soliven wrote how the late senator from Tarlac came to him to explain his shifting from the Nacionalista Party (NP) to the Liberal Party (LP) of the late President Diosdado Macapagal.

“Macapagal bled Tarlac to the bone. No public works appropriations, no ‘pork barrels.’ Macapagal’s condition for releasing money for Tarlac was no less than abject surrender on the part of Ninoy. His ultimatum: Ninoy should swear himself as Liberal,” Soliven wrote. He went on to narrate: “Ninoy went to see me, along with other friends, to explain his capitulation. He said to me: ‘I took the only course left open to me. I kissed my innocence goodbye.”

Soliven understood why Ninoy did it, saying: “He (Ninoy) perceived that the only way to serve the people was to understand the people.”    

From that historical perspective, it should well explain the stand of P-Noy on “pork barrel” amid calls to abolish it.

The reported misuse by lawmakers of their Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and “bogus” non-government organizations (NGOs) that allegedly abused these public funds are not enough reasons to change his view on the issue.

A three-term congressman and a senator for three years, P-Noy knows where he stands as principal dispenser of pork-barrel funds.