BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY OF NINOY AQUINO
Born: November 27, 1932

Tarlac Province, Luzon, Philippines
Died: August 21, 1983
Manila, Philippines
Benigno Aquino of the Philippines was a leading opponent of the rule of President Ferdinand
Marcos (1917–1989), who governed the Philippines from 1966 to 1986. Aquino's opposition
ended in August 1983 when, after living in the United States for three years, he returned to the
Philippine capital of Manila and was assassinated (killed) at the airport. Aquino's death
touched off massive demonstrations against President Marcos.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 At age seventeen, he was sent by the Manila Times newspaper to report on the Korean
War (1950–53). The war was between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and was a war in which the
United States and China eventually joined.
 At age 22 Aquino became the Philippines' youngest mayor in his home-town of
Concepcion.
 Just six years later he became governor of Tarlac province (a position similar to
governing a state).
 In 1967 Aquino once again made history when he became the youngest senator ever
elected in the Philippines. Meanwhile he married Corazon Cojoangco, with whom he
eventually raised five children.
LEGACY
As it turned out the democratic opposition to Marcos was strongest after its leader's death. As
Marcos lost the trust of his people, the Philippine economy also fell apart. By 1985 the nation
was in political and economic chaos, with Marcos under attack by the press and by the
strengthened political opposition, which did well in elections.
In December 1985 the court proclaimed that General Ver and the others charged with Aquino's
murder were not guilty. Marcos promptly returned Ver to his former position. Popular unrest with
Marcos's rule grew steadily, however. Within weeks a political movement formed around
Aquino's widow, Corazon. She was elected president of the Philippines in 1986, unseating
Marcos.
Self-Exile, Assassination, and Legacy
Though Ninoy spent his time in Newton in peace, he kept his mind on the country’s political state. He
remained a staunch critic of the Marcos regime even in exile, and it was during this time that Ninoy
delivered his often quoted speech in 1981 to the Movement for Free Philippines in Los Angeles:
I have asked myself many times: Is the Filipino worth suffering, or even dying for? Is he not a coward
who would 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 faults of the Filipino and I have come to the conclusion that he is worth dying for.
Hence, despite protestations from his family and friends, Ninoy ultimately decided to return to
the Philippines on August 21, 1983. To these warnings, Ninoy responded with “I’d rather die
a meaningful death than lead a meaningless life.”[3] He procured travel documents under the
name Marcial Bonifacio and returned to the country on August 21 in hopes of negotiating with
Marcos.[3] In anticipation of Ninoy’s arrival, his supporters wore yellow clothes and yellow
ribbons and tied yellow ribbons around the trees surrounding Manila International Airport
following the song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.” Ninoy’s hope of
negotiating, however, was never realized; he was shot dead as he was alighting from his
plane.
Ninoy’s death ignited a fire among members of the opposition. Many gathered to pay respects
to the man who had become the de facto face of the opposition and join the funeral procession.
For 11 hours, over a million people marched to Manila Memorial Park to mourn the death of
Ninoy; as they marched, the people chanted “Ninoy Ninoy, we love you” and sang “Bayan
Ko.” Though Ninoy died before he could realize his hopes, many were inspired to step up
and continue his mission to challenge the dictatorship.
REFERENCES
https://www.notablebiographies.com/An-Ba/Aquino-Benigno.html?fbclid=IwAR3QwZnOCjx1LBJxE-
0o64giNYEkJPlw1lVhjqfBP_s47wdxBzUMW4zS_hg
https://martiallawmuseum.ph/magaral/from-senator-to-prisoner-the-story-of-ninoy-aquino/?
fbclid=IwAR3OzPYJwCDLegQZESeDSbpFFpmWhwcljpfI_Qm7_z8OW4UXCqherGchBPE

BIOGRAPHY

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BIOGRAPHY

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

BIOGRAPHY

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

BIOGRAPHY OF NINOY AQUINO

Born: November 27, 1932

You might also like