Tomorrow marks the 28th death anniversary of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., who was fatally shot in the head upon stepping into the airport now named after him and claimed his life for democracy. Now it seems more than a forgotten memory for most of us, but for those who still knew of what happened, it remains fresh even after 28 years and six presidential administrations.
On the eve of what would've been Ninoy's 78th birthday in November of last year, I was able to visit the graves of both Ninoy and Cory Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque, and from personal experience it seems solemn to look at the graves of both of them, very simple and yet recognizable from the gravestone itself. I took the liberty of visiting their graves, and even though it was a hot, steamy morning, I still got the liberty of looking at their graves and prayed as if I turned back time to 1981. Of course, that was when the Aquinos were in Boston and in self-imposed exile. Indirectly speaking, I got to fall in love with the city not because they were residing there for three years, but because the Celtics, which was my favorite hoops team, were winning championships that decade. But anyway, I took a peek at their graves and relaxed for a while, and this was where I felt something missing: the government's lack of reaction towards controversial issues in recent years, something they seriously couldn't address at the moment. On that day, the experience of visiting them were so amazing I couldn't wait to tell them to my cousins the very next day.
As the nation prepares to celebrate his 28th death anniversary, one thing's still unsolved. Who really killed him, and was it the fault of the Communists or even President Marcos?
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