Opinion

Ninoy Aquino: Hero and martyr

BREAKTHROUGH - Elfren S. Cruz - The Philippine Star

August 21, 2016 | 12:00am

The stories of heroes and heroism have been used to inspire, motivate and transfer cultural values in a society especially to children. Heroes also teach us what is right and wrong. It tells us, and our children, the kinds of behavior needed in life if we want help make a better society and to overcome the villains who seek power for purely selfish purposes.

Stories of heroes and heroism give us hope especially in a world where there are terrorists and dictators; poverty and famine; and, social unrest and anger. It has been said that heroes are “beacons of light amidst vast darkness...Heroes prove to us that no matter how much suffering there is in the world, there are supremely good people around whom we can count to do the right thing, even when most other people are not...Heroes bring light into a dark world.”

It is very important, especially for the sake of future generations, that we choose carefully those persons we will honor as heroes. It is critical that those we call heroes must be role medals for the values we want our children to inherit.

The ultimate act of heroism is martyrdom. A martyr is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce or refusing to advocate a belief by an oppressive party or regime. This refusal, in the face of imprisonment and threats is what results in the execution of the martyr by the oppressor.

Martyrs become symbols of exceptional leadership and heroism in the face of extremely difficult circumstances. Martyrdom was originally applied to those who died for their religious beliefs. But it has also become widely used for people imprisoned and executed for espousing a political cause for the sake of their country and their people.

Ninoy’s martyrdom

During the Marcos martial law years, the Philippines was desperate for a hero. In Dickensian imagery, it was the worst of times. It was the age of Imeldific extravagances and capriciousness. It was the season of darkness that abolished human rights and made freedom a crime against the state. It was the winter of despair when cronyism became the norm and very few seemed to have the courage to speak against the evil that had befallen the country. For the Filipino people, it seemed that there was no hope for a better future.

On August 21, 1983, Ninoy Aquino was assassinated upon his return to the Philippines. Suddenly, there was a dramatic change in the attitude and mood of the Filipino people. Yellow armbands and confetti became visible all over the country. It was the dawn of the season of Light as speakers begun to publicly denounce human rights violations and the unjust persecution of those who advocated for the return of democracy. It was the beginning of the spring of Hope as the end of the Marcos dictatorial regime became a possibility. It seemed that suddenly one man’s martyrdom had triggered a movement for the restoration of democracy and human rights.

There have been many articles written to explain this phenomenon in our history. Perhaps, one of the best explanations is in the speech that Corazon Aquino gave on August 21, 1998, during the 15th death anniversary of Ninoy. Cory said:

“I have asked many people – most of whom never knew Ninoy – why they came to the wake, Some said they were ashamed of themselves for being so fearful of the dictator, and they were sorry they had not found the courage to stand up and be counted earlier. They felt that if they had shown more courage, maybe Ninoy need not have died. Others said they were outraged and had had enough. Still many came, simply to pray and grieve quietly with me and my family. Rich and poor, the powerful and the powerless, they kept coming in endless lines to pay tribute to Ninoy, convincing me that “hindi ako nag-iisa.”

At that point, I believe that Ninoy’s death triggered a long-awaited transformation in many Filipinos. We finally found the collective courage to rise against a dictatorship after years of shameful and fearful stupor.

No longer were we going to be lulled by the clever machinations of a regime bent on staying in power forever and plundering the nation. The protests started. Telephone directories and yellow fabric were suddenly in short supply. It was a non-violent protest movement run through photocopiers, Betamax tapes, confetti rallies and noise barrages in Makati, and the alternative press. Some thought the protests would not last. But as Filipinos have done many times in the past, we proved the sceptics wrong.

Courage, like cowardice, was infectious and the Filipino people rose in defiance. This same courage carried us all through 1986. When rampant cheating and violence marred the snap election of February 7, 1986, we as a people again demonstrated our collective courage.”

I hope that the Filipino people will continue to be inspired by Ninoy’s martyrdom which helped inspire a nation to rise against the Marcos dictatorship and restore democracy. I hope that Ninoy’s story will always remain as a beacon of hope and inspiration for future generations of Filipinos.

History will include the name of Ninoy Aquino among the other Filipino martyrs – Gomez, Burgos, Zamora and Jose Rizal. Their stories need to be told and retold for the sake of our children.