Benigno Aquino, Jr.

:For the municipality, see Sen. Ninoy Aquino, Sultan Kudarat

Assassination and Aftermath

On August 21, 1983, while on his way to Manila, Ninoy accompanied himself with several foreign journalists from different agencies to insure safety and to let the people know if the rumors of assassination aborted his mission...he was right. Despite the presence of his own security guards and government troops on the tarmac, he was fatally shot in the head as he was escorted off the airplane at Manila International Airport. The government claimed, unconvincingly, that he was gunned down by Rolando Galman, who was immediately shot dead by troops. It was never officially established why or even whether Galman had done it, though many suspected that Galman was just a fall guy. Aquino's arrival has been anticipated by the government, and around 2,000 security personnel (both police & military) were scattered at the airport to secure his safety. There are still questions lingering on how Aquino was gunned down despite heavy security at the airport. Many believed that it was one of the soldiers that escorted the senator who pulled the trigger. Even more suspicions arose on who ordered the assassination. Everyone from the CIA to the Communist Party of the Philippines to First Lady Imelda Marcos was accused of having conspired for the hit. It must also be noted that President Marcos was gravely ill and in very poor shape during this time, as he was at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute recovering from his kidney transplant on August 7 when this incident occurred—he was in no shape to run the government. Conspiracy theories arose as to who was in charge and who ordered the hit when Marcos was in his sickbed recuperating. President Marcos then ordered an independent body, the Agrava Commission, to investigate the assassination. High-ranking military officials were indicted, including Gen. Fabian Ver, the Armed Forces Chief and known as Marcos's enforcer, but were soon acquitted. The military team on the tarmac at the time are currently serving life sentences at Bilibid Prison. They have filed a recent appeal to have the sentences reduced after 22 years, claiming that the assassination was ordered by Eduardo "Danding" Cojuanco, a Marcos crony and Corazon Aquino's cousin.

Related Topics:
Manila International Airport - Rolando Galman - CIA - Communist Party of the Philippines - Imelda Marcos - National Kidney and Transplant Institute - August 7 - Gen. Fabian Ver - Bilibid Prison - Eduardo "Danding" Cojuanco

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His funeral procession on August 31 lasted 12 hours, from 9 am, when a funeral mass attended by the Catholic Archbishop in the country, Jaime Cardinal Sin, was held in Sto. Domingo Church, to 9 pm, when he was interred in the Manila Memorial Park. Two million people lined the streets during the procession, and millions more listened on the Church-sponsored Veritas radio station, the only station that dared to cover the procession. The funeral itself afforded a rare public expression of anger at the Marcos regime, but was relatively calm and even retained moments of good humor. Famously, when rain started pouring in the midst of the funeral procession, hundreds were dissuaded from opening their umbrellas with the chant, "Only Imelda (Marcos) uses an umbrella!" Another notable moment from the funeral was when the procession reached Rizal Park, and the crowd forcibly brought the Philippine flag down at half-mast.

Related Topics:
August 31 - Jaime Cardinal Sin

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The assassination of Ninoy transformed the opposition movement overnight from a small isolated movement to a mass movement involving people across all classes of society in Metro Manila. The middle class was involved, the lower class was involved, and business leaders whom Marcos irked during martial law supported the movement. The assassination showed the increasing incapacity of the Marcos regime—Ferdinand was mortally ill when the assassination occurred while his cronies mismanaged the country in his absence—and outraged Aquino's supporters that he would allow the assassination of a key figure of the opposition to happen. The mass discord caused by the assassination put the Philippines on the map for the United States. Attention was brought to the Philippine Crisis, and exposes on Imelda's extravagant lifestyle and "mining operations", as well as Ferdinand's dictatorial excesses emerged. US President Ronald Reagan became fearful of a full scale, destabilizing and bloody revolution that could only spell disaster for US interests in the Philippines, as well as the regional stability. Reagan would denounce the assassination—but never renounce his friend Marcos.

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The assassination also thrust Ninoy's widow, Cory into the popular eye. Cory Aquino went on to campaign furiously in the 1986 snap elections called by Marcos to satiate public discontent with his regime. On the 57 days of campaigning before the February 7, 1986 election, Aquino’s UNIDO party took to the roads, visiting all but a few of the Philippine provinces. On the campaign trail, Aquino was greeted by throngs of people throwing confetti and cheering her on, "Cory! Cory! Cory!". Despite the Commission on Election's (COMELEC) declaration that Marcos had won the election, Cory and her supporters refused to accept the allegedly fraudulent outcome, prompting the People Power revolution that drove Marcos into exile and placed Cory in power as President.

Related Topics:
February 7 - People Power

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In Ninoy's honor, the Manila International Airport has been renamed as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and his image is printed on the 500-peso bill. On February 24, 2004, the Philippine Congress enacted Republic Act (R.A.) 9256, declaring August 21 of every year as Ninoy Aquino day, a special nonworking holiday. Several monuments were built in his honor. His monument in Makati City near the Philippine Stock Exchange tower perhaps is the most popular, where several rallies and demonstrations (mostly anti-government) are constantly being held.

Related Topics:
Ninoy Aquino International Airport - 500-peso bill - February 24 - 2004 - Philippine Congress - Republic Act (R.A.) 9256 - Makati City - Philippine Stock Exchange - Anti-government

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His son, Benigno Aquino III, is a congressman representing the 1st district of Tarlac and his daughter, Kris Aquino, is a TV and movie actress.

Related Topics:
Benigno Aquino III - Tarlac - Kris Aquino

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