Ninoy’s ‘exile’ house now owned by retired teacher

BOSTON – The house that served as the residence in exile of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. in the 1980s now belongs to the family of a retired public school teacher of English literature.

Catherine Malloy, a staffer at the Newton Welsey Hospital here, knows the historical significance of the house that her aunt, Ione Malloy, bought at 175 Commonwealth Avenue corner Mount Alverina Road in Newton municipality in the state of Massachusetts.

“She bought this house about 15 years ago,” Malloy told a group of journalists.

Manila-based journalists visited the place Saturday afternoon to get a picture of the house and interview its new owner.

Catherine was media shy but nonetheless gave a few details about her aunt who she said would be home in a few hours.

She didn’t let the reporters in but allowed them to take videos and photographs of the house, which is near St. Ignatius Chapel and Boston College.

It is a two-story brick house with a basement, an attic and two verandas on opposing sides, apart from the one in front. It also has a two-car garage with a stockroom and a garden at the corner.

According to Patty Yusah – a family friend of the Aquinos who has lived here for the past 38 years – they often called the Aquino exile home as the “New England House.”

It was here that most of their social gatherings were held, and where mahjong was the pastime.

Yusah, a sister of multi-awarded broadcast journalist Cheche Lazaro, told reporters in an interview that the Aquino residence had been under the care of a foundation until it was sold, reportedly to a Korean couple, then later to the Malloy family.

She reminisced fond memories in the early ’80s about Ninoy and his wife, former President Corazon Aquino, and their daughters, including then “baby” Kris, the youngest among the siblings.

She, however, could hardly remember the couple’s only son Noynoy, now the president of the Philippines.

“I always saw the girls, but Noynoy was never there,” she said. “Perhaps he was just on the second floor.”

But her husband Winnie, who played mahjong with Ninoy, confirmed that Noynoy was inside the house but was only glancing from the second floor, and refused to join them downstairs.

Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. said this is the first time Aquino visited Boston since he assumed the presidency in 2010.

He could not say, however, if it was also the first time that Aquino has gone back to the place since his father was exiled.