Rekindling the Flame

“I have asked myself many times: Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying for? Is he not a coward who would readily yield to any colonizer, be he foreign or homegrown? Is a Filipino more comfortable under an authoritarian leader because he does not want to be burdened with the freedom of choice? Is he unprepared, or worse, ill-suited for presidential or parliamentary democracy?

I have carefully weighed the virtues and the faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for because he is the nation’s greatest untapped resource.”

-Ninoy Aquino

This year, the Philippines commemorates the 29th anniversary of the assassination of Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., one of the most enduring icons of Philippine democracy.

Ninoy was no stranger to politics; he came from a family of politicians. Still, Ninoy made a mark in Philippine politics on his own. He became famous not only because of his eloquence and excellent public relations skills but because of his sincerity and his determination to fight human rights abusers in the country. After the declaration of Martial Law in September 21, 1972, he was imprisoned for siding with the leftist movement. For seven years, he stayed in various prison cells, at times even in solitary confinement. His wife Corazon Cojuangco Aquino and their children suffered quietly with him and never ceased in praying for his safety and good health.

After seven years behind bars, however, Ninoy experienced heart attacks and was allowed by the Marcoses to have medical treatments abroad under conditions that he would return and would not speak against the Marcos regime during his stay in the United States.
After three years, Ninoy decided to come back to the Philippines despite receiving warnings of impending imprisonment or assassination upon his return. Unfortunately, even before he was able to step on Philippine soil, Ninoy was killed by an assassin’s bullet on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, minutes after his arrival.

During his funeral procession, his love for country was reciprocated when more than two million people lined the streets leading to Manila Memorial Park, making it the biggest and longest funeral march in Philippine history.

When he died 29 years ago, he proved that dying for the love of country is never a defeat, but a glorious victory. At that time, many thought that at their leader’s death, the people’s thirst for democracy would also die with him. Instead, it awakened the anger and rage inside the hearts of the Filipinos, and marked the beginning of the fall of Marcos. After years of suffering under the rule of the dictator, the people snapped, and as one, they stood up for freedom.

Had he not have been assassinated, he could have made a good president. He possessed all the qualities and traits of a good leader and was especially loved by the people. Nevertheless, we cannot deny that his assassination was the fatal blow to the dictatorship of Marcos and was the spark that rekindled in the Filipinos their desire for freedom and democracy.

It has been twenty-nine years. But has our country fully recovered from the scars of the past? At this age, the pressure is on us, the youth, to prove that the Filipino is indeed, not just worth dying for, but also worth living for.

Edith Wharton, an American novelist, once said, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Ninoy served as the candle that ignited the Filipino spirit; let us be the mirrors and pass on the light. Together, let us rekindle the light that Ninoy once lit so that one day, we may all walk hand in hand towards a better nation, as we wave our flag of three stars and a sun with pride and valor.