“I have been fighting for the truth since Day 1 and thank God I am surviving… I am energized by the truth and truth is God… “
Imelda Marcos on Ninoy Aquino’s assassination.
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It Really Seems Ninoy’s Values Died With Him 30 Years Ago
So we “celebrated “the 30th anniversary of the killing of Ninoy Aquino. Hindsight is 20/20 as the great country and western singer Joe West would say but let’s see what has happened in 30 years. Full disclosure, I remember the day Ninoy was shot. There was press with him in the plane and soldiers came to escort him out. The press tried to follow with their cameras and suddenly the cameras were physically misdirected. Shots rang out shortly after and when the video coverage resumes there are two corpses prone on the tarmac. My thirty-year-old memories tell me that the corpse of the alleged gunman just lay there. As if to say here is the guy who did it.
Watching the History Channel’s version of events brings back memories of a government blatantly lying to me. I was not fond of it in 1983 and I am not fond of it in 2013. So nobody should ever ask my motivation for writing what I write in a website like Get Real Philippines. To quote the late great Beano Cook, “Don’t shovel the manure in front of me, I’m not going to step in it..”
I just find it crazy to believe for a second that the “security” team can form a full court press on all the cameras on that plane yet somebody who found himself deep inside the airport and armed was able to get one good shot off and kill Ninoy. Also hilarious is how can somebody get that close then be turned into Swiss cheese by security without any wild shots. Anyway it was not the first time I was lied to and not the last. And people wonder why I am a cynic. The History Channel documentary then says “four hours after shooting (on a Sunday) government declared case closed. The biggest bit of baloney in this is getting us to believe that government actually works on Sunday?? Or any other day that ends in “y”.
After thirty years it is possible the myth of who killed Ninoy serves the Aquino family more than the truth ever could.
What fuels my cynicism is the role family plays in all this. No one should die like that. No one should see that happen to a family member. Now here is where I beg to differ no one should use this man’s death for their own advancement in lieu of any tangible intrinsic accomplishments specially family. Ninoy legacy? Did he get shot in the head only to be used endlessly in election campaigns?? In one case this year for someone he never met?? So the legacy of Ninoy is whored out every three years to cajole votes yet no one person has ever picked up the tab as the mastermind. This was no fruit cart on the street like the attempt on Don Corleone. The government insisted Galman made his way to the base of a recently parked airplane totally concealed. I was born at night but not last night.
Bam never met his famous uncle. Why use him in his campaign as a Ninoy Aquino impersonator? Notice the trend in his poster? Two dead relatives and one brain dead relative.
Another memory I have from 1983, Look at the video of how many people packed the streets during the funeral procession. If I recall the lead news story of one of the government stations that night, Imelda visits a tree hit by lightning. Again, like some of you I was there. That was the media we were dealing with. I have no idea why today people don’t treat Imelda Marcos like Charles Manson? What that says about us I don’t know.
This is so wrong in so many levels.
I am not here to mock Ninoy. I am suggesting though that I doubt the Philippines in 2013 was his dream. Back in 2010 many gave the reason that Noynoy should be president because he will not disgrace the name of his parents. Let us take for granted that it is Noynoy’s intention that he will not disgrace his parents. One thing can derail that intention. His inability to perform the role he was elected for.
When I saw the History Channel documentary the Ninoy I saw there would not back down from any question thrown his way. Noynoy did. Ask Dick Gordon in 2010. Also in the same documentary it discusses Marcos holding Congress, judiciary, military and even media. Keep in mind that Marcos is what Ninoy fought and what endeared him to the people. Noynoy holds a similar monopoly. So in essence Noynoy has become what his own father fought against. I can never speak for Noynoy but based on what I saw, that Ninoy would never want a short sighted fool as a leader for the country he loved even if it was his own son.
I think there is an “s” missing there.
The alleged Malacanang on line trolls allegedly commandeered by Ricky Carandang are another point of contention. If Noynoy was a secure leader or a leader period there would be no need for the elite troll force. The best defense is a good offense. The good offense ideally would be Noynoy being a bastion of competency. That is not going to happen. I wonder what Ninoy would have thought of using the people’s money to finance online trolls. Ninoy himself fought against what was printed in the Manila Bulletin and the Daily Express about him. Ninoy was subject to misinformation campaigns from the government specially from RPN Channel 9 in the 70s. Ninoy himself was all about expressing himself against what was conventional. Noynoy only spoke out when he was not a “survey tailender”.
Quick who is Nicolas Cage’s famous uncle?
I bet 90% of you don’t know who Nicolas Cage‘s famous uncle was. Because Cage for all his financial goofiness was somebody Noynoy is not. Cage had talent and guts. Cage could have kept the name of Coppola to hitch his wagon to his Uncle Francis Ford of Godfather fame. Instead of going the safe pinoy route of name recognition, Nicolas Coppola ditched his last name and got the name “Cage” from an obscure Marvel Comics character. Time showed that Nicolas Cage had the chops to make it in Hollywood as a leading man in many many roles based on what he brought to the table and not his family name. Noynoy brought nothing to the table. Go look at his campaign, saturated with the same symbols from 1978, 1983 and 1986. The yellow ribbon, the L handsign and the pictures of his parents. All these things were there without his contribution. He brings nothing to the table. This is the same Noynoy who told election foes not to wear yellow. Noynoy who is as unoriginal as Vanilla Ice is bashing people who he perceives are copying him. What a guy!
How would Ninoy feel that 40 years after this letter was written the subject would be known for Noynoying?
If Noynoy was Ninoy he would have fought corruption a lot sooner than 2010. Him and his hollow slogan of “Kung Walang corrupt walang mahirap”. That is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal for someone who never made waves in his life. Like you need to be president to fight against that.
Noynoy spent a dozen years in Congress and in the Senate. There are only three possibilities:
- He saw corruption and did nothing therefore signing off on it.
- He was too disengaged in his participation to see corruption.
- He was part of the corruption.
The “Happy Giver” indeed. Besides the obvious headline whoring, the question is who was receiving?
Noynoy is one of those politicians who get by on their name and not for anything they do. What is known in the vernacular as “trapo”. Noynoy gets the goose egg in the passing laws department. Still the voters of this country believed his promise of eradicating both poverty and corruption in six years. Proud to be pinoy!!!
We only saw Ninoy as opposition we never saw him as president. I really can not imagine him as being wishy washy (Charlie Brown term) as this. One day we see this.
The next day he goes the complete opposite way as Benign0 mentions in his piece. Does this sound like a principled, contemplative leader to you? My opinion, he comes across a weak kneed, band wagon jumping mama’s boy. He does not come across as a leader of a country. I trust Noynoy Aquino as far as I can throw Franklin Drilon.
Do you ever see him with a national symbol? He is always with that family symbol. No doubt where his priorities lie.
Ninoy was 51 when he died and was a contender for president years before that. Noynoy was 50 when he actually became president and was an unknown entity even to his supporters. He only became a contender after his mother died and not because of anything he may have done. Noynoy became the standard bearer for the Liberal Party and kept making “L” handsigns and displayed pictures of his dead parents all the way to victory, much to the chagrin of one Korina Sanchez.. Ninoy made his own waves in a difficult political time. Ninoy in context had merit, in context of the era and the fact that he stood out. You can’t say that about Noynoy. Noynoy’s wears his values on his sleeve or should I say on his barong. He does not wear the country’s flag but his family’s symbol. Ninoy was always about the country, Noynoy it seems is all about his family and what they can get from the country. Look at his attire. Noynoy pre-presidency was wallpaper. He was just there. His father was not just there. So somebody remind me why there is such an inseperable link between those two.
Noynoy would have no power unless it was given to him literally from above by his mother. In 1983 and 1986 Ninoy’s death was used to legitimize Cory. It should have stopped there. You had Butz and Tessie who turned out to be two hardcore Erap supporters. Nobody speaks to the Ninoy vision like Erap. Noynoy followed now Bam? Kris will be next? I don’t see the values of Ninoy espoused in this generation of Aquinos. Ninoy has a daughter that publicly chases any guy that moves and a son who follows suit. A nephew he never met who copies his hairstyle and glasses and makes every association he can to him. I don’t know about you but if I paid 10% the price Ninoy did for this country I would question what my own family thinks I did. I would question what did they think I was fighting for?
“Don’t you know me I’m the boy next door/ the one you found so easy to ignore/ Is that what I was fighting for??”
Look around you in 2013. The same people that glorify Ninoy every August 21st are the same people that prostitute his legacy by turning him into a Posthumous King Maker. The Filipino was worth dying for? His own family cheapened his memory by converting it into a campaign tool. Then the rest of the country that he died for support his family who promote themselves with a Bizarro World version of his values. They celebrate him but do not carry on with what he preached. The family ( with lots of help from ABS-CBN and the Inquirer ) fill the empty spaces of their resumes with a legend they have nothing to do with. Doesn’t anybody see the hypocrisy? Give him a holiday and give him an airport. Heaven forbid they find his killer. This is clearly a culture of impunity. No wonder Noynoy has problems with accountability. There is this massive chasm between Ninoy’s dream and the reality that his own family has wrought on Ninoy’s beloved nation. And they all celebrate him with a straight face. I am not so sure a son who becomes president on the back of his martyr father who then shows no accountability to the country was worth dying for. The best way to have celebrated Ninoy’s life and death is by living out his values 365 days a year. Regardless of your position, regardless of who you are related to and regardless of who is watching. I dare you watch the History Channel’s documentary on Ninoy Aquino and tell me Ninoy’s own family are appropriately celebrating Ninoy’s sacrifice with their own lives and their influence on the country. I understand the irrationality of the government in 1983. I don’t understand the irrationality of Ninoy’s family in 2013.
Photo credits include:
http://elfhraim.tumblr.com/post/772127898/porsheohporshe-yummydaryl-lol-aquino-family
http://spankyenriquez.blogspot.com/2007/08/in-memoriam-ninoy-aquino.html
http://www.mashpedia.com/Filipino_people
Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.
Gogs, thanks for the “Bizarro World”. I am a guest in this country and a few things do seem strange, and Bizarro is a GREAT tag.
As you point out, celebrating the Birthday of a Hero seems appropriate, celebrating his assassination seems cynical.
Further, having ones name on a school is appropriate recognition of having contributed to, or supported the school in some way. Seeing the Mayors name on Garbage Trucks, water delivery trucks, business licenses, even NO PARKING SIGNS, seems very odd. Did the Mayor really pay for all those things? or is he reminding us how much we got from the Pork Barrel after he skimmed 70% off the top?
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but does the President of a Democratic Country (Philip) live in a PALACE?? That just seems WEIRD!!
Thank GOD I moved to the Provinces before Manilas new traffic ordinance prohibiting Bus Traffic took effect. Granted, vehicular traffic is reduced, but I guess the fact that there were PEOPLE INSIDE those vehicles were inconvenienced was of no consequence.
Bizarro.
All these random thoughts have something in common, which underscores Gog’s point.
After Ninoys death, everything reverted back to original form. A Constitutional Oligarchy with no heroes, only weak, self absorbed, self righteous Politicians.
My heart breaks for the people.
Thank you Bill. Your observation on “odd”. I few blogs I mention that phenomena.
“What does matter to my life is the culture of corruption, self entitlement, disregard for law, chaos and disregard for human life that is so prevalent here in the Philippines that our children notice it as much as guppies notice water.”
Me in GRP – August 11, 2013
That this is a weird environment to somebody not born here. This is normal for them. Up to them if this is a great environment to raise kids. I still get people steamed at me that I could care less about a basketball score when people are placing bombs in restaurants. I am the bad guy?? Thanks for reading and it so satisfying to be able to connect through a blog with someone I never met.
No, Cogs, you are not a “Bad Guy”. People who are capable of complex thought (like you) are always targets of “Single Issue” aficionados. They cannot survive outside their “Bubble”, and they view anyone outside their bubble as a sub-species or worse. No worries, PLEASE continue to contribute.
That said, I have a question. I am a big fan of GRP as a forum for discussion of politics and socio-economic issues and impacts, HOWEVER, I am also looking for a GRP Counterpart that discusses ideas for solution? Please advise. Thanks.
Interesting and well written.
I simply see unabashed and tasteless brand exploitation by the aquino family for continued personal gain, and shame on them for their continual prostitution, hypocricy, deceit, and complete failure to embody any of the values/ideals espoused by ninoy aquino. Plagiarism in a macabre way – especially by opportunist bam aquino.
And no interest by either aquino president to pursue justice or the truth regarding the murder of ninoy aquino. The BBC put cojuangco-aquino’s name in the frame for ninoy aquinos assassination, and maybe that explains the inertia and underlines the depths of depravity in this dysfunctional family who are a disgrace on so many levels.
Death has served the aquinos well, whether assassinations or massacres, and with such a low regard for life then it is no surprise human rights abuses and extra judicial murders have gone up in the past 3 years.
Another stain on the aquino brand which largely goes unreported.
All in all – thugs, criminals and lowlife. Only in the 3rd world philippines.
And regrettably only in the philippines, where there is such a co-dependent need to follow anything without question, would people blindly follow a ‘good and emotional story’ churned out at every opportunity to create a pavlovian response.
Libertas. It has been so cool to see your name and know I never have to say “point missed.” Thank you!
Above and beyond the brand exploitation the real cost of the continual propaganda is to try to stay rooted in the past and manufacture/exaggerate any glory, however small.
Pnoy even wants the history books in the schools to be re-written and the syllabus changed. Is this still a communist country!
All nations should pay respects, but in perspective and moderation not try to use it as a political tool, just as politicians should never be treated as ‘celebrities’, but made to work, achieve, and account.
Look to the future – don’t live in the past. The philippines should be about youth, energy, creativity, and innovation – not trying to create 20 year olds with the mindset of dinosaurs.
i want to make a confession here…… the year was 2010, i was a first time voter. i voted for noynoy. thats the first and biggest mistake that i made in my life as an adult.
i was completely blinded by the media about how great his family, the values of his family, the visions of his family, the legacy of his family…..while i did not consider looking at noynoy’s own greatness, values, visions and legacy.
i was one of those yellowtards who put noynoy in position.
i dont want to blame anyone. evan myself, because the moment i stepped into this world, 22 years ago, this country is as it is. if we re to blame the society, we must consider the fact that we are also a part of the society. focusing the governments efforts on how to sight the causes of this damaged culture is pointless. instead, why not focus on the first step on how to fix it.
During the 2010 elections, i was an ignorant shit. now im not. thanks GetRealPhilippines. we all want change in this country, yes.
for us to do so, let’s change ourselves first.
Our thought process always evolves. Your decisions are made possible by your environment. Speaking for myself, I am glad you chose to expand your horizons in GRP KneilAndrew. It all starts with considering possibilities.
Kneilandrew, please do NOT judge yourself too harshly. At least you voted and learned from the experience. We are all wiser in learning from mistakes, especially if they makes think and rethink positions.
Elections in the Philippines are really tough due to lack of options. Our choices of Dynasties is limited.
I admire your honest and respect your confession, but I am most proud that you have the courage to develop insight. Thank you
Agree. It really frustrates as a Filipino to have limited choice, and I’m left with incompetent choices.
Anyway, during election, I exercise my right to vote and I rarely fill out my ballot, to signify how disappointed am I with the list of candidates.
Gogs, Wow!
Thank you. I am glad I am able to put somethng coherent together once in a while.
Gogs,
You definitely hit another bullseye in your article although I’m very sure that our “town idiot” would show his face here, he can’t refute any of the facts that you have presented here but instead he’ll either attack you or just post yet another severly flawed propaganda.
Like you said, if the president was really doing his job,he wouldn’t need any of carandangs flying yellow monkeys to spread his propaganda on sites that criticize the administration.
J.D. thank you. Maybe town idiot is enjoying a long weekend.
another excellent piece man…hahaaaaay…if only people can see how how shallow we become to actually fall for their(aquino and other trapo) crap.
mackoy31. Thank you. It really was shallow crap. In 2010 I have no idea how Noynoy earned so much trust. His own supporters and even his campaign could not enumerate his accomplishments. They tried to rationalize that he could not pass a law in 12 years. Back in 2010 sites like Anti Pinoy (with Ilda, Benign0, BongV and Rafterman) were making all the sense in the world about Noynoy. Unfortunately it was like trying to serve health food to people who spent decades eating kwek-kwek and fishballs from the sidewalk.
Well if it wasn’t Aquino it would just be another one of the thieves. It really is not too funny to see how an entire country can not understand that every single one of their elected officials is a thief. They are protected by laws of their own making, they run and financially rape the GOCC’s/treasury and the average Filipno has NOTHING, and yet you all stand for the crap they dish out at you. AMAZING.
El primo piece, Gogs! 🙂
Means a lot boss. Glad to be part of the team.
NICE ONE. The country today is not worth dying for, and precious few worthy of Ninoy’s sacrifice.
The Esquire mag cover is aimed at a Western audience. It says “This Man’s country has something to offer”, especially cheap labor performed by MEN, bravo!
One thing I don’t get is how Aquino will not grant Marcos a state funeral. YES? So he might think Marcos had something to do with his Father’s murder, yes? So, what kind of man does not turn around and kill the entire family of those he thinks killed his Father? How does a Man sit in the same hall as the Son of his Father’s killer(?). His Father’s killer’s wife, who may have even ordered the hit,(snickering?) sitting nearby?
Well, I am a MAN, and I know wtf I would do. and it sure as hell would not have taken more than a few weeks to get it done.
the aquinos are known for their disdain on their so called villains (marcos, gma for starters) that they’d do anything to erase any good thing their villains did. for example, have you ever heard ninoy say something good about gma? nope. never. i forgot this poor guy who became a programmer after learning through tesda. i think people attributed this to ‘tamang daan of ninoy’ but it was a gma program after all. you never heard that side of the story in the news (only after i looked for that said program at the tesda site).
see? didn’t like her but at least i try to recognize what’s due 🙂
Misstapie. What you have to know about our fearless president is you can’t point to anything in his life as an achievement. So what does he do? By putting other people down he hopes to increase his standing and his self esteem. That is why till now, the name “Gloria” keeps coming up. He has nothing intrinsic to crow about.
For me, Ninoy knew that anything bad that could happen to him will benefit his family and his descendants for as long as they live and would be the downfall of his enemies, too. True or false?
Hi Crissy!, I can’t read Ninoy’s 1983 mind and it is easy to say that now. Still the late 70s and early 80s were really a turbulent time in this country. Anything is possible. I can’t give a true or false. Maybe you might be able to. Watch the History Channel 5 part deal. I intentionally watched that because one would think there will be a minimum of yellow hyperbole there.
Gogs,
If you don’t mind, mate, I’ll try to answer this one.
crissyname,
Not likely. Ninoy Aquino was a shrewd operator. He and Ferdinand Marcos were cut from the same cloth. They even belonged to the same fraternity at UP. Both Ninoy and Marcos had an early start in Philippine politics. Their families are both prominent oligarchic, political clans.
They had the same mindset; each knew how the other thought. And while Ninoy is best known as being critical of the Marcoses, there are accounts that Ferdinand Marcos once told his closest generals that “among the politicians around, ‘Aquino is best prepared (to be president).'” This was around 1980-81; Marcos was sickly by then and his inner circle had begun to talk of “succession.”
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20080822-156115/Marcos-My-best-successor-is-Ninoy
In interviews on US television, Ninoy says he would like to talk to Marcos, help him bring peace to the Philippines. This he says is one of the reasons he wanted to return from exile. It is highly probable he wanted to return to become Marcos’ Prime Minister.
From the Inquirer:
“An Aquino travel companion in the United States wrote about a “covenant” between Marcos and the exiled senator. The ‘covenant’ included the position of ‘prime minister’ in the National Assembly, provided that Aquino won a seat in the 1984 elections. That was why Aquino had to come home in 1983, so he could establish residency and prepare for the campaign.
“Aquino worried over reports that Marcos’ health was deteriorating. He was particularly concerned about the succession problem. He told his wife he wanted an audience with Marcos.
“A member of Marcos’ inner circle thought otherwise. He believed that Aquino knew all along that Marcos wanted him back, and Aquino knew because Marcos told him.”
How did Ninoy know Marcos wanted him to be prime minister? Marcos’ Chief of Staff, Gen. Fabian Ver visited Ninoy BEFORE his departure for the US to deliver letters from the president. The succession story is bolstered by the fact that Ninoy reportedly assured Cory and his family that their stay in Boston would be temporary. Finally, an affidavit signed by ex-Master Sgt. Pablo Martinez, one of those convicted in Ninoy’s murder, relates how the assassination plot was hatched when it was decided “(Ninoy) was the choice of President Marcos to be his successor” much to the displeasure of those people around President Marcos.
It is highly probable Ninoy returned from exile not for the noble purpose that he publicly avowed, or “because anything bad that could happen to him will benefit his family and his descendants for as long as they live and would be the downfall of his enemies,” but because he believed he would be the next president of the Philippines.
Pure BULLSHIT Saint.
That succession story is not true, and if it was it was only to get the gullible Ninoy back on Philippines soil. To shut him up for good. Ninoy was making the rounds on the lecture circuit in the U.S.A. during his exile and was taking POT-SHOTS at Marcos every chance he got, his wife, Imelda, too. I saw the Man speak in the U.S.A. shortly before his death/murder and there is NO WAY Marcos was going to hand the country over to him, not after what Ninoy had to say. I have seen documents that report that Ninoy expected to be imprisoned upon his return to the Philippines and that he planned to fight his arrest from prison and possibly run for election from prison. The validity of them I was suspect of, but what you just said, Saint? PURE BULL-SHIT! and you should really STFU coz you don’t know wtf your talking about.Where did you get that? Wikipedia?
and, just a heads up Gogs, you should be wary of letting such an un-informed idiot speak for you.
I don’t presume to speak for the author. And like Gogs, I can’t speak directly for Ninoy or what he was thinking. I never met the man. I am familiar with his activities in the US and the stories regarding the circumstances of his death. What I offer is a different perspective.
Was Ninoy considering the possibility he would be imprisoned? Yes. I’m not denying that. Was he going to run for elected office from prison if he wasn’t murdered? It’s quite probable. He’d done it before going into exile.
Did he fear he would be murdered by elements of the Marcos regime? Absolutely. That Imelda and other factions within the administration wanted him dead is certain. Would Marcos himself have ordered Ninoy dead? Possible, but it goes against character. Marcos, like Ninoy, was a very canny political operator. It would have been better to imprison him and keep him out of the public eye rather than kill him and possibly make him a martyr. Which is eventually what happened. The impulsive nature of the act was something more attributable to the vanity of Imelda Marcos, who had her own faction in Malacañang.
Would he have accepted an alliance with Marcos? That really cannot be answered. He was murdered; the possibility of talks between Marcos and Ninoy upon the latter’s return from exile never materialised. But that was a meeting Ninoy himself said he wanted to push through. He made that clear at several speaking engagements in the US. In the open forum after the speech he gave at a symposium in Los Angeles in 1981, Ninoy said “that by returning there (to the Philippines) and willingly sacrifice again imprisonment I maybe able to touch the conscience of Mr. Marcos. And in so doing will be able to dialog better with him and tell him exactly what some of our people feel.”
Would Ninoy have accepted Marcos’ offer to become President? He certainly was ambitious. War correspondent at 17, a presidential adviser at 22, mayor at 23, vice governor at 27, governor at 29 and senator at 35. He was going to run for president in 1973 if Martial Law hadn’t gotten in the way. He would have been 41. And he could play dirty. He risked war with Malaysia over the Jabidah massacre just to weaken Marcos power. He also had dealings with the NPA — from his point of view, a means of building bridges with the leftists. And by all accounts, Ninoy probably would have implemented Martial Law if he won in 1973. On that, he agreed with Marcos that order needed to be restored. Would he have accepted the Presidency if he thought that would, as he says “speed up the normalization of my country” and even preserve Marcos against the fate suffered by all dictators throughout history? I would say yes.
Look at the history of the man and his character. And the events of the period. Don’t discount the possibility simply because it doesn’t fit neatly with your political opinion.
But the Ninoy that was about to meet and speak with Marcos was no longer the same Ninoy before he was incarcerated. In fact, Ninoy has already lost enormous political luster in time and his homecoming was in part an attempt to reinsert himself again in the political environment.
He has become irrelevant in the schemes of things that he has to go back home before it’s too late. He was no longer in the ‘list’ of successors (in case Marcos exits the scene) that was being talked about at the time.
Would he have accepted alliance with Marcos? Absolutely not! Marcos was going down fast not only politically but most importantly physically in terms of health. Ninoy knows it that is why he’s in a hurry to go home. Besides, he knew that people around Marcos would never agree on such a deal.
The idea that Marcos would have offered him the presidency is a little bit way out there. Granting it is possible, why would he accede and be identified with a fast weakening dictator who was his opposite in the first place?
We discuss ideas and we speculate here. We are all biased to some degree to something. Some of us give full disclosure why we believe what we believe. I try to be careful with that. We may agree or disagree but as long as the discourse has some basis it will be all right. Of course Carandang’s trolls will have none of that .
Johnny Saint – In interviews on US television, Ninoy says he would like to talk to Marcos, help him bring peace to the Philippines. This he says is one of the reasons he wanted to return from exile. It is highly probable he wanted to return to become Marcos’ Prime Minister.
Ninoy to become Marcos’ prime minister? Ummm, is that a line from a movie script or a comedy skit? I don’t think there’s a semblance of sanity on that theory.
Marcos’ time was up and everybody knew it. But he hasn’t lost any of his trusted people. They’re still around and jockeying for position and Ninoy was aware of it. I don’t think Ninoy was aspiring and hoping to get a PM job under the notorious dictator whom he has opposed all his political life.
Sorry Saint, ur busted. You say you do not presume to speak for the author, right after you said you would.
I usually only criticize you when you speak as if you know what people like ‘the founding Fathers'(there are none such certified persons) in the U.S.A. were thinking and why they did certain things, coz you don’t know. But after seeing that you answered an obviously un-educated reader here with an answer that ‘Ninoy came back coz he was going to be made Prime-minister’ when, in fact, that is not the case( 1 in one million chance that was the story and then only to get him to come back to imprison him when he arrived.). You are no historian and any shot you had at having any credibility just sank to ZERO.
SAINT’s CREDIBILITY=0
So Bozo, back off with your asshat remarks about wishing my head would land on the end of a spike as Robespierre’s did(he actually did not but hey that’s your delusional as usual spin, not mine) as your intellectual arms are way too short to box with me.
BTW, you do not know who I am and you NEVER will, but I am going to get actual transcripts/documents and letters that will prove you wrong Saint, and post them right here. This is not because its my ‘political’ opinion but because they are actual FACTS. Just like you having zero credibility is.
Your a clown.
Ninoy is a selfish man and he never loved his country. Anybody who was fooled by Ninoy will never understand it, so, i will not argue. Nuff said, kahit awayin niyo pa akong lahat! #sacrificiallamb
No one will fight with you.
Wasn’t he a communist sympathizer? I still can’t believe how many communist sympathizers there are. The truth is, it was the people who stopped Martial Law and we put too much credit on the Aquinos. What is this trying to suggest about what’s happening now? Are we going to credit the people who suggested the Million People March the same way we credited the Aquinos? I hope not. None of the Aquino family members were there marching in front of the Palace. The late Cory was hiding in her house, the husband is dead, the children are probably at home as well. The Aquino’s are just dots in the grand picture of events.
After the dictator fled, the generation that put his wife into to power is to blame for the country’s downfall, remember that we were 2nd to Japan during Marcos time. Just look at the parallels. Ninoy was assassinated, the people voted for the wife. The late Cory died, people voted for Noynoy. Are Filipinos really that easy to give in to emotions?
As far as what the author of this post is trying to say, the Aquinos don’t deserve any credit at all. The crediting must stop and we should never hear of the names of dead people who barely did anyting in electoral campaigns ever again, let them rest in peace. Ninoy’s memory has been reduced to a campaign material. Apparently the children has no respect for their own parents’ death and would even use it to get into power. And is it worth it? No. Just look at what the current President is doing now. He won’t listen to the people regarding the complete scrapping of PDAF alone. In relation to this, the DBM is in a hurry to pass the budget for 2014 before the end of the year. So much for the pork abolition, it’s just a fancy cover up for PDAF 2.0.
I am disappointed that we never hear of greater Presidents like Ramon Magsaysay. Now that’s the man worthy of praise. People literally shed tears when he died. And yet, just as the author mentioned, Aquino plans to have textbooks contain history about their clan. I bet it will contain all the negatives about GMA and especially the Marcos’s.
The Aquinos just got lucky with the media because the media was shut down during Marcos time.
Speaking of which, the media should also be blamed for hyping up this clan. The media in our country is broken. Why is the media employing people with political attachements and background? Like Korina and former VP Noli DeCastro? Add in Ted Failon too who was a former congressman. Just my 2 cents.
“The late Cory died, people voted for Noynoy.”
=====
I think there is a sequencing problem on that statement.
Braaaainss…..
Ninoy did the dying. Cory was in Cebu when the tanks were rolling. I still don’t believe that either or Ninoy nor Cory would want Noynoy to be president. If so, where is the prep? I was amused to read a review of GRP in general and me specifically. That we hate everything Pinoy. Speaking for me, I just hate things that make pinoys go hyper and that includes brand name politicians. After that everything else they love can become suspect. You guys vote in Nancy Binay and you want me to care about the basketball team? No thanks.
WOW, Gogs, you certainly know how to return a shot. I am impressed.
I am trying to learn as much as I can about dynamics of Philippines as quickly as possible. I read a lot that is obviously BS, and find a few articles that attempt objectivity. Thanks GOD for GRP.
From an outsiders viewpoint, I sense that Noynoy dumping PDAF sets the stage for Congress to push back on the much bigger Malampaya Fund. Does that seem likely? The entertainment value of that struggle will be enormous, watching these “Family Brands” slug it out in the press.
Every country needs a HERO. Looks like your stuck with this one till a better one comes along.
I hear ‘BOZO THE CLOWN’ is available.
The article’s title talks about Ninoy’s death anniversary and how the author was continuously baffled by it. However, it appears that the title doesn’t really echo what appears on the body of the article. I think the title was just an alibi to write something against Pres. Noynoy Aquino and that’s a shame. A never-ending comparison between Ninoy and Noynoy was mentioned for obvious reason: to show that Noynoy is nowhere near his father’s feat and accomplishment.
But where is the issue of death anniversary there?
I’m sorry to say this, but the article was just an excuse designed to put up a cheap shot against Noynoy.
I say, why hide your contempt against Noynoy by hiding from the title about the death anniversary of his father when you can clearly titled your article about the wrongs and mistakes of Noynoy as president?
But I think you cannot do a headline about Noynoy’s failure as president given the fact that a survey exists showing public satisfaction about him.
No offense but when a story is so twisted one cannot feel being duped to believe something that is contrary to reality.
I did no such thing. Read just the last two paragraphs. I am personally disgusted how his own offspring exploit his name and memory without respecting his memory and values . If Noynoy is lame he can only blame himself. Not one original bone in his body. Now if Noynoy made his own name that would sit better with me and some other people I am sure. Noynoy himself invites the comparisons. Very few people call him on it. It is his fault he fails in every way. So insecure and so cowardly.
The problem with that theory was you don’t have anything to back up your allegation. I’m no Noynoy fan but I have yet to see how he “exploits and disrespect Ninoy’s name and memory.” If ever, I think, Noynoy avoids being link to his father by showing he is his own man.
Like I said, it’s hard to put up a position you have taken when surveys after surveys shows the satisfaction ratings in Noynoy’s performance. I would have agreed with some of your rants had there been evidence that Noynoy was really a weak and lame president.
With regard to comparison, I think there are only quite a few who have been unable to move on from the state where Noynoy was a suspect candidate, in terms of maturity and experience, up to the time he became president. Certainly, for someone who has ‘no original bone in his body’ he has performed better than his predecessors did and that includes his mother.
In the words of Pontius Pilate I have written what I have written. This blog as well as the 18 Things You Will Never Hear Noynoy Say which I wrote in March. I don’t think what a Filipino survey says should override what I see with my own eyes. That’s just me. That might be your measuring stick.
I am here cause I love to write and even people who disagree with me help keep me on my toes during my preperation of what I eventually submit. I try to anticipate challenges when I go off on a limb, hopefully I learn something along the way and on a good day a reader or two learns something from taking time to read me.
@Leb: The evidence is everywhere. Noynoy campaigned on a mere perdigree platform which proved effective in catapulting an otherwise reluctant, inexperienced and unqualified candidate to the highest office in the land.
The mystique of the Aquino yellowist rhetoric has long been in a slow decline but it’s hit rock bottom since Noynoy came to power in 2010. ABS-CBN a few weeks ago put up a post on it’s facebook page asking people to post their thoughts on how they “remember Cory”. The post was inundated with, shall we say, unhappy thoughts about her, prompting ABS-CBN to publish a damage control article to clarify a few things. As columnist Jojo Robles observed…
There are lots of other facts out there that you can find yourself if you weren’t too busy lazily sitting there demanding that people here serve them to you on a silver platter.
Well, what’s the problem on Noynoy campaigning on the strength of his pedigree? That’s how elections are conducted in the country so why take it against him only?
He may be unqualified and inexperienced, which I also thought too, but that’s water under the bridge now. There’s no more clamor for those issues against him, err, except from people who seems to have a hard time moving on.
I don’t care about the so-called ‘mystique of Aquino yellowist’ etc. The reality is Noynoy is there you he will be there up to 2016. Deal with it.
benign0, the last thing I will do is demand on the people that writes on your blog to serve me facts in a silver platter. I will never do that. That is impossible. And you know it. Please.
Well, that’s the whole point we’ve been trying to make here. Nobody seems to think there is anything wrong with Noynoy’s “campaigning on the strength of his pedigree”. This sort of thinking is so ingrained in Pinoy society and political discourse that people fail to see that it is at the heart of everything that is wrong with the Philippines and the uniquely moronic way it practices “democracy”.
There is a lot of talk of “change”. Yet the one thing that needs to change that could actually change the sorts of politicians Pinoys get subject to has actually been strengthened under the Aquino-Cojuangco rule — dynastic politics and campaigns on the basis of pedigrees. Seems like you, Mr “Leb” are a fine specimen of that sort of rot in Pinoy society and exhibit the very sort of flawed arguments that ensure that this sort of thinking remains ingrained in the psyche of Da Pinoy.
The whole point you’re trying to make here is that it’s all Noynoy’s fault. That he don’t deserved to be president even though the elections has been done with. The whole point is you seem to be unable to move on.
You have a point on the ‘strength of pedigree’ but it’s has been with us sine time immemorial. I complained about it also in the past but unlike you I focus on the system/practice not on the person.
It’s true it’s ingrained in Pinoy mentality but we cannot resolve or fight it by focusing on certain people for political expediency. You should not dump everything that ails the country on the lap of the current president just because you do not like him.
I may look like I’m defending Noynoy and surely it will appear that way because the game is so one-sided I have to show that part where you people intentionally ignore.
@Leb: Indeed, again you prove that point when you say “it’s been with us since time immemorial” referring to the ‘strength of pedigree’. That’s the way a lot of people think; that just because something’s been around since time immemorial then whoever makes use of that something cannot be faulted — which is why nothing changes, because we are told to “move on” when an abomination had happened. Just because Noynoy “won” an election does not make him the right leader. Just because something is popular does not make it right.
As I said earlier, Noynoy is the President. His being the object of people’s scrutiny and the way all roads in the issues at hand lead to him comes with the JOB of being president. The buck stops with the guy at the top as the old cliche goes. And rightly so with Noynoy specifically because his campaign was all about putting him up as being the singular achievement of a movement that supposedly calls for “change”. His cheerleaders put him on a pedestal and made him out as change personified. Well, that’s what he gets now, doesn’t he? He gets taken to task for his failure to make good on that campaign rhetoric — to institute REAL change and not just these illusions that are playing out.
Well said, BenignO. Too many of us live for the next “Sound Bite” so we know what to think or how to react.
Learning to think objectively requires a lot of time effort.
This PDAF issue is proving the failure of the “Revolution” and the “Legacy Theory”. Hopefully the next struggle over the Malampaya Fund will reveal the need for “Evolution”.
Come back when you’re ready to discuss the content instead of the tone of the article or the motives/intent that you presume are there, mmmkay, Leb?
Or perhaps, you should try reading it again, veeeeeeryyyyyyy slooooowlyyyyyyy…
i totally agree. i was about to say read again. thanks “the dictator” 😛
Thats it.
“A survey exists…”
Dumb or Dumber. Which one are you.
A survey also exists to show pnoy followers are below average intelligence. Now that one i can believe.
yeah. there are also surveys about which network gets the best ratings. i wonder who believe those…oh… wait.
The real truths about Ninoy and Cory before he died. Are they worthy as heroes? This is for the yellow trolls. Read the links below and feel the indigestion.
http://www.josemariasison.org/?p=5114
http://www.josemariasison.org/?p=3225
I just read the 1st article and there is nothing in it that would be-smirch the Man, Ninoy, in the slightest way. Nothing. He was anti-Marcos and seemed only to want everyone else to be as well.
and it is ALL only hearsay, from someone who may have an agenda of his own, and so: What would give anyone who reads it doubts? If they read it with an open mind, as I just did, it seems an historical recounting by someone who is very old.
@Gerry
The man Ninoy and his wife Cory were not only anti-Marcos… They were pro-communist and were in alliance with Jose Maria Sison. Read the second article. Ninoy never appeared at the Plaza Miranda meeting. We all know who bombed Plaza Miranda to pin the blame on then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was Jose Maria Sison. Ninoy supported the NPA all the way. You should know how to read between the lines. It was Cory who later on released Jose Maria Sison to inflict more commie rebel war against our people and the government. Heroes? Nah! Just opportunists.
Hearsay?!!
Maybe you don’t know who joma sison is. Try googling his name first.
Look T.J. I know full well how to ‘read between the lines’. I won’t be reading the second article because it is a waste of my time and most likely is revisionist history from someone with an agenda.and I really could not care less. BUT,
Ninoy Aquino was a duly elected Senator of the Republic of the Philippines. He stood up to the tyranny that was the entire Marcos regime.
He aslo believed, mistakenly (seeing the country and the way the citizenry behave now, including his incompetent Son), that ‘the Filipino is worth dying for’. The Man had something that NONE of the present day disgrace’s/thieves/plundering scumbags who inhabit the Congress of the country, the SC and the Executive branch have, and that is INTEGRITY. He was not perfect and I never said he was. He stood up to tyranny and was shot down for doing so. in this life that is called NOBLE and that is how the WORLD will remember him, despite what some of his country-men try to shovel on his grave.
Of all sources, why it has to be that wretched JoMa?
Yes, the alliance w/ the CPP is true. But it’s only for convenience. Ninoy envisions a united front against Marcos. Just because he allied w/ the Reds doesn’t automatically means he sympathize with them. You might as well accuse Sun Yat Sen of the same crime. The same with Indonesia’s Founding Father Sukarno who’s also notorious for his amicable relationship with communists.
Ninoy already has experience dealing with commies back in Magsaysay’s time. He knows what they want and how to approach them properly. This is one thing Ninoy is good at. He’s called the “Wonder Boy of Phil. Politics” for reason.
We celebrate that the father died….we will celebrate more, if the son dies…
Nicotine will take care of that. Or something transferable from another “vice” he has.
Misfire from one of his shooting buddies?
That’s too harsh don’t you think. There’s no need for excessive bloodshed. LOL
I’m a bit leery at the History Channel nowadays, what with their spewing of crappy shows about white people doing boring stuff. But I’ll check this documentary out; it’s a shame I missed its airing just this weekend.
I am quite curious about what really happened in that tarmac. I don’t want to jump into conclusions or veer into conspiracy theories, but I can’t get a straight answer from the mainstream media either.
Oh my glob, during the Presidential election I was so pissed off by all the “Cory Magic” going on Aquino’s side. It’s like they really capitalized on Cory’s death, aside from the well-oiled-and-used Ninoy “brand” campaign. I thought it was too obvious that the people would be turned off by it. I was wrong, though; people truly did get swayed by all the emotion and the “Cory Magic”.
There is no way History Channel could come close to the worship anything ABS CBN does. It did help me putting this together.
That is true. I don’t bother switching the channels to ABS-CBN during the Aquinos’ anniversaries. Our TV screen gets clogged with yellow every time.
The History Channel shovels re-visionist history at the masses. Some true, some not so.
Ancient Aliens comes to mind.
Also, another History Channel show that pisses me off: ALIENS. Their Asian-themed shows seem better, though.
Like I said in piece, heaven forbid they find his killer. Wife and son did squat for murdered Ninoy. http://www.manilatimes.net/son-disinterested-in-fathers-murder/96401/.
Nice to know we have some influence. http://seanakizuki.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-problem-of-using-late-ninoy-for.html