By Lilybeth G. Ison
MANILA, (PNA) — “I will never be able to forgive myself if I will have to live with the knowledge that I could have done something and I did not do anything.”
“A time comes in a man’s life when he must prefer a meaningful death to a meaningless life.”
“The Filipino is worth dying for.”
These are only some of the famous quotes of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated on August 21, 1983.
Presidential Communication Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said exactly 31 years ago, “Ninoy”, father of President Benigno S. Aquino III, gave his life for the Filipino people by coming home to the Philippines despite knowing that his life was in danger.
Ninoy’s assassination gave way to the first bloodless People Power, which brought back democracy in the country through peaceful means.
“Out of the dark night of the dictatorship, his (Ninoy) supreme sacrifice illumined the path that led Filipinos back to the daylight of democracy. Even in the face of violent persecution, he was a staunch advocate of truth, reason and justice,” said Coloma in a statement.
He urged the Filipino youth to draw inspiration from the heroism of Ninoy “and let his shining example animate them to carve a better future for our country.”
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, for his part, said that Ninoy came home to prove that the Filipino is worth dying for.
“Let us pledge to transmit his thoughts and the reasons he took his fateful stand to the generations who were not yet around in 1983, but who continue to enjoy the freedom of choice, thought, and expression that he fought and died for, and which characterizes our country today,” he said.
Truly, Ninoy’s patriotism will always be remembered and his legacy will always remain not in the history books but in every heart of Filipinos fighting for injustices against tyranny.