Martyred opposition leader Sen. Ninoy Aquino, whom his only son Noynoy once called his “guiding light,” would have turned 78 on Saturday, Nov. 27. He did not have the gift of years, but he was bestowed the gift of changing the destiny of a nation. Only a few people before him — like National Hero Jose Rizal — were given that gift.
Ballsy Aquino-Cruz once told me that her father Ninoy’s deep love of country was inherited by her brother Noynoy, now the country’s 15th President. This observation was echoed by the second Aquino sister Pinky Abellada, who said, “Noynoy is willing to die for the country.”
As I was looking back at past issues of People Asia magazine, one article, published in 2003, caught my eye. Entitled “A Son Remembers,” it was written by the late gifted writer Ann Montemar-Oriondo, who had an exclusive interview with then Tarlac Rep. Noynoy Aquino in his Times Street home. Noynoy even sang a song for the People Asia team (comprised of Ann, photographer Jojo Guingona and stylist Eric Pe Benito) with his karaoke. He took them to his private quarters and told them, “I will sing for you one of my favorites.” Then he proceeded to sing Wichita Lineman.
That was seven years ago and Noynoy is now President. Would Noynoy have been President if Cory had not been President and if her death had not stirred such an outpouring of gratitude for her legacy? Would Cory have been President if not for Ninoy and his sacrifice on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport?
Many say, “It all began with Ninoy.” The torch was passed on to Cory, and then to Noynoy. Noynoy has been quoted as saying he hopes the people will take the cause “to the next level.”
Ninoy died 27 years ago. It will be difficult now to tap into his only son and namesake’s reservoir of memories of his father, simply because as President, Noynoy doesn’t have the luxury of time to reminisce.
That’s why the following article by Ann Oriondo is a rare insight into the kind of man Ninoy Aquino was. It is also an insight on the kind of man Noynoy Aquino is, and how consistent his principles have been through the years.
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Excerpts:
“I have plenty of memories of Dad,” recalls Noynoy in the very same sala (albeit remodeled) where his slain father’s remains lay during the wake which thousands of Filipinos attended round the clock. “He brought me to firing ranges while I was still in short pants. He bought me an air rifle and taught me how to use it with a scope.”
This was the same father, Noynoy recalls, who would rouse his family from sleep late at night to enjoin them to partake of the siopaos he had brought home as pasalubong. The same playful father who had surprised his son with dozens of matchbox cars after a trip from Hong Kong — but only after teasing the little boy first by presenting him with posporos. So when Noynoy saw his assassinated father’s bloodied and bruised body, anger swelled in his heart, threatening to demolish the belief in peaceful means that his father by example had imparted to his family.
To Noynoy, the assassination was so grossly brutal, unfair and unbelievable. “When our family suffered from 1972 to 1983 and (even until) 1986,” Noynoy relates, “I would ask myself, ‘Ano ba ang kasalanan namin’? Parang my question was, ‘If we are your (Christ’s) followers, is it our destiny to suffer like you? And non-stop?’ It was like we got instances when we were happy only to recharge for the next miserable period.” On that fateful early morning in Boston when he first learned from CNN that his dad had been shot, Noynoy distinctly recalls hoping that “the sounds of gunshots were only sound effects or that there was a mistake in the reporting, or errors in eyewitness accounts.”
This was because, Noynoy explains, “I knew Dad’s trip would be risky, not in the sense of a physical danger to him but because one of the scenarios that we were thinking of was that (then President Ferdinand) Marcos would invite him to Malacañang, show him being toasted (on TV) with no audio or anything to destroy his credibility with the opposition and then immediately bring him back to Fort Bonifacio and maybe make him a non-entity.
“It never crossed my mind that Dad would die when he left because it wouldn’t make sense. Our mistake was — our premise was — that Marcos was in full control. He was too astute a politician to contemplate (an assassination). But of course the factor that was missing was the extent of his illness. We knew he was sick. So many people have been telling me that Marcos was either unconscious or comatose when Dad was arriving. There was even talk that he had a transplant that was not successful.”
When Ninoy’s death was confirmed, Noynoy looks back, “I didn’t cry then because I think I was stopping all my tears. Whenever it was about to flow I was trying to transfer it to anger. To me at that point, there was no more chance for attaining my dad’s dreams. Parang nagwala na lahat itong mga kalaban. That’s when I began to think of (banding with) my dad’s friends who had the necessary training to go through the Biblical ‘an eye for an eye.’ We were really at that point.” But proving even larger in death than he was in life, Ninoy’s spirit still moved his son. “(A friend) told me, ‘Your father’s followers will be looking up to your mother and to you.’ My father tried to prevent civil war by trying the non-violent approach to reform. And here I am joining the armed revolution! Medyo hindi yata tama — it would belittle his sacrifice and his purpose. So I made a pledge to myself: As long as my mom and sisters are not touched (because I’m old school in that sense) — magpasensiyahan na muna tayo. Syempre mas marami sila. I had no illusions of succeeding but I at least could mitigate the damage.” When people began flocking to the Aquino home in Quezon City’s Times St., Noynoy says he saw for himself the impact his dad’s sacrifice had on Filipinos from all walks of life. “That gave me the first impression that perhaps his dream wasn’t dead, that something good would happen,” Noynoy says. “People would come even in ungodly hours like 3 a.m. My Lola Aurora (Aquino) was talking to these ladies.”
Seeing the grieving mass of humanity sympathizing with their family, Noynoy says, “From the point of ‘wala na, sayang siya, wala nang mangyayari,’ para bang (what Dad had fought for) was true. He had quoted the Bible which said that if it is not the right time, a thousand prophets won’t make a difference. But if it is the right time, not a single prophet is needed.” If his father’s courage had always been there for Noynoy to emulate, it took root when Noynoy decided it should result in a fundamental change in his own life.
“Para sa akin hindi importante ang mabuhay kung hindi matatapos yung hinahabol ng tatay ko,” Noynoy elaborates. “I couldn’t accept that my dad’s death was a meaningless and useless sacrifice. He couldn’t finish (his mission) so I had to do whatever I could to ensure that it gets to the point where the pain of having lost my dad and countless others along the way has some meaning.” Emboldened, Noynoy engaged himself in non-violent protest for the next three years. He joined rallies and delivered speeches on the meaning of his father’s sacrifice. “I think I have a little gift for communication,” Noynoy says, “and when there were rallies, sa mga tagilid na lugar like La Union, Ilocos Sur, Antique, Marawi, sa akin ‘yon.” But as Noynoy would discover, freeing a country from a dictatorship was one thing… and nourishing democracy and making it thrive was quite another. He remembers with great regret the damage the seven coup attempts inflicted on the nation during his mom Cory’s term.
“With the coups and (the eruption) of Mt. Pinatubo,” he shares, “We really experienced what my dad said na kawawa naman ang papalit kay Marcos. He never really wanted to be the guy to replace Marcos. He would say, ‘Masuwerte na yan kung di ipagtatabuyan sa Malacañang.’ Lo and behold, it was my mom! With those coups, just when we would move forward, we would slide backwards.” But far from being discouraged, Noynoy forged ahead, seeking to realize his father’s noble goals in everyday practical terms. To honor his dad’s legacy in his public service, Noynoy shares, “I don’t go for the highfalutin ‘I-will-solve-the-economic-problems-of-the-country’ and all of that. No. Sa akin, simpleng simple lang. My dad, my mom and so many others struggled for democracy, which is basically an opportunity for us to get to where we want. But it’s a process where you also have to search for it. You cannot have manna from heaven all the time.
“So what does that translate into? In my district (for example) how can you say people should support or strengthen democracy when government for instance cannot provide basic services? So (deliver) basic services is what I am trying to do. I talk to the barangay officials, to everybody, and ask what are their priorities and what solutions they want. This means that democracy has a causation — we should put the basic services into place to effect the changes that we together desire.”
If there are people who have no place in democracy, Noynoy believes, they are those “who try to influence others but who complain and complain but do not have the solution. We should look at ourselves in the mirror and ask what we are doing. At the end of the day, we should ask ourselves, ‘Nagawa ko ba lahat ng kaya ko? Did I leave the world better than what I found?’ This is a good system. We have good people. We just have to make things work.”
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As Ninoy Aquino celebrates his birthday in heaven, surely with Cory by his side, he will find joy that his only son remembered his lessons well and that his Impossible Dream may someday be just that — a favorite song.
‘Yellow Sale’
The Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF), in partnership with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), invites everyone to the first-ever “Yellow Sale” starting tomorrow until Nov. 28 at La Plaza, Tiendesitas, Pasig City.
“Yellow Sale is all about celebrating the spirit of giving,” says Rafael Lopa, president of NCAF and executive director of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP).
One of the objectives of the unique event is to promote micro-entrepreneurship and social enterprise as facets of People Power. “We feel that this is a fitting way to commemorate the 78th birth anniversary of the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. on Nov. 27,” Lopa points out.
Yellow Sale features unique products of micro-businesses and social enterprises supported by PBSP, the Association of Foundations, PinoyME Foundation, Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Negrense Volunteers for Change and the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service, among other NGOs.
Lopa adds that “iamninoy-iamcory” merchandise will also be on sale.
He also acknowledges the support of Directories Philippines Corp. (DPC) for making Yellow Sale possible.
As part of the event, Doji Lopez, DPC vice president for New Media Services, will speak at a forum on “Bringing Your Micro-Enterprise Online” at the Sulok function room in Tiendesitas tomorrow at 2 p.m. On Nov. 27, there will be a Mass in honor of Ninoy Aquino at 5 p.m.