The Aquino Legacy & a ‘love child’

Nov. 27 would have been the 83rd birthday of Ninoy Aquino and while I only saw him once when he was lying in repose at the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City  he is to me the quintessential modern-day hero. Ready to both live and die for the country, putting his entire life in the bosom of his principles.

On the eve of Ninoy’s birth anniversary, writers Elfren Cruz and his wife Neni Sta. Romana Cruz presented their “love child” (according to Education Secretary Brother Armin Luistro, no less) to society. The “love child,” conceived during Elfren and Neni’s “senior citizen romance,” is the book The Aquino Legacy: An Enduring Narrative. It is the first book the family is involved with that looks at the lives of Ninoy, Cory and their only son President Noynoy Aquino. 

“Why another Aquino book? What is it about Ninoy and Cory that we do not know yet?” Neni asked guests, including President Noynoy Aquino, during the book launch at the Writers Bar of the Raffles Hotel in Makati City.

“But speaking that way is speaking for our generation, not the millennials or Generation Y who only know Ninoy and Cory as the faces on our P500 currency bills or the parents of President Noy and Kris. It is even more inaccurate to say they have forgotten about EDSA and People Power — for they never knew about this period in our history in the first place,” Neni pointed out.

Elfren and Neni feel that “history is in serious danger of being rewritten and altered by individuals who seek a kinder and more heroic portrayal of themselves in the memory of a nation.”

“The dark period of martial law is being dismissed and glossed over as an epoch that must now be forgotten,” Neni lamented.

One of the subjects of the book defied doctors’ orders to rest and attended the book launch, along with his sisters Ballsy, Pinky and Viel.

“All accounts of history are written with the personal biases and views of their authors. What is truly important is the fact that we are adding to the body of knowledge available at this point; we are making sure that no single person is able to dictate history, and consequently, influence the thinking of Filipinos. We are making sure that the whole picture is available, as opposed to what can only be called propaganda. For example, there is a particular candidate for next year’s elections, who says repeatedly that he is ready and willing to say sorry, if he only he knew what there is to apologize for,” President Aquino said. “Upon hearing this, I really had to ask myself: When you cannot admit a mistake, are you not guaranteeing the repetition of that mistake? Perhaps this book can help to enlighten him and add to his knowledge of our past.” I guess you know who he is referring to.

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In her foreword, Pinky Aquino Abellada said she and her siblings are “very fortunate to be the offspring of Ninoy and Cory, two people who led exemplary lives publicly and privately. They gave so much of themselves for the restoration of our freedoms and for the strengthening of our institutions.”

“Yes, we had a far-from-normal life during the martial law years with Dad’s incarceration but Mom cushioned most of the blows for us. And yes, we were sometimes second to country in the priorities of our parents but we understood why we had to share them with others. Today, we continue to receive so much goodwill from their legacy, locally and internationally,” she noted.

Pinky said the entire family cooperated for the book (including the in-laws and the grandchildren.) “After all, we will not be around forever to tell our story.  And if we tell our story as accurately as possible, attempts to distort history will not prosper,” Pinky stressed.

“The Aquino Legacy: An Enduring Narrative is the first book the family is involved with that looks at the lives of Ninoy, Cory plus P-Noy. The fact that the book is meant for millennials ensures that today’s youth will have a book on the Aquinos they can relate to, learn from, and hopefully, share with their children and grandchildren,” she concluded.

Guess who got kisses from Obama during APEC dinner?

President Aquino shares a light moment with US President Barack Obama during the Economic Leaders’ Welcome Reception dinner at the Mall of Asia Arena. Malacañang photo

US President Barack Obama not only stayed in the Philippines longer (three days) than expected, he seemed to actually enjoy himself. He not only gamely moderated a forum with Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Filipina scientist and entrepreneur Aisa Mijeno, he also gamely posed with performers whom he met on his way out of the MOA Arena after the APEC dinner.

During the dinner, he enjoyed the inihaw na prime rib prepared by chef Glenda Barretto he finished it to the last bite, even if steak is something not new to him. Barretto said she was constantly checking the temperature of the plates where the steaks were laid out to ensure they didn’t come in from the cold (pun intended).

After dinner, President Obama gave away chocolates to the waiters who attended to him.

Kisses, actually. (You may e-mail me at [email protected].)