21/08/2026
โ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐
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โMarking the anniversary of former Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr.'s assassination in 1983, the Philippines observes Ninoy Aquino Day every August 21 as a special non-working holiday, with his death becoming a defining moment in the country's struggle against the Marcos dictatorship.
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โForty-three years later, Aquino's story continues to raise questions about the events leading to his death, the impact it had on the country, and why his legacy continues to be remembered today.
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โ๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ผ?
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โBenigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. was a journalist-turned-politician who began his career as a reporter for The Manila Times before entering public service. He became mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac at 22, later serving as vice governor and governor of Tarlac before being elected to the Senate in 1967.
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โAs his political career progressed, Aquino became a prominent critic of former President Ferdinand Marcos, leading to his arrest and imprisonment following the declaration of Martial Law in 1972.
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โHe was later sentenced to death by a military tribunal in 1977 on charges including subversion, illegal possession of fi****ms, and murder. However, the case was later reopened for re-evaluation following domestic and international pressure, with the military proceedings subsequently suspended.
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โ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ?
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โAfter his imprisonment under Martial Law, Aquino was allowed to travel to the United States in 1980 for medical treatment, where he remained in exile for three years while continuing to condemn the Marcos administration.
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โAquino eventually decided to return to the Philippines despite the political risks surrounding his homecoming. On August 21, 1983, he arrived at the Manila International Airport after years away from the country.
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โShortly after being escorted from the aircraft, Aquino was shot in the back of the head, while Rolando Galman, whom the military identified as the gunman, was also killed at the tarmac. Later investigations disputed the lone-gunman account and found evidence of military involvement in the assassination.
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โ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐?
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โAquino's assassination sparked widespread public outrage, with large crowds attending his funeral and contributing to the movement against the Marcos regime.
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โAs opposition to the dictatorship continued to build, thousands of Filipinos gathered along EDSA during the EDSA People Power Revolution in February 1986, a four-day peaceful uprising that brought together people from different sectors of society.
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โOn February 25, 1986, Corazon Aquino, Ninoy's widow, assumed the presidency as Marcos and his family fled Malacaรฑang, ending his 20-year rule and paving the way for the restoration of democratic government in the Philippines.
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โ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ก๐ถ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐พ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ?
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โNinoy Aquino Day was established through Republic Act No. 9256 and signed into law on February 25, 2004 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The law declared August 21 of every year as a national special non-working holiday called Ninoy Aquino Day.
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โThe first national observance was held on August 21, 2004, commemorating not only Aquino's death and his opposition to the Marcos dictatorship, but also the democratic movement that followed and the history it represents for Filipinos today.
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โText by Kyla Maureen Hernandez
โLayout by Ron Jie Bess Dusal
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