A tribute to Ninoy (Last of the Series)
This was part of the privileged speech of Cong. Tony Cuenco, of South District, Cebu City last November 27, 2007 in memory of Benigno S. Aquino Jr.
“Shall we unite with his death
The untarnished, unsung sacrifices of our daily lives?
What can we offer Ninoy who asked only
For an opportunity to love and to honor us,
And to remind us how to best love and honor ourselves?
Dry your tears, my Brothers,
For your answers must be made today
And the pledges must be made by you.
Not by your parents, not by your sons,
Not by your barangay captains, nor by your national
Leaders,
Not by your compadres nor by your business associates,
Not even by Ninoy himself.
Each and every one of us, one by one,
Must defend the one foot square of land
On which we kneel or on which we stand.
The battle for Freedom is not over;
It is NEVER over!
The blessings of Peace have not yet arrived.
Our common dream of national reconciliation
Is still floating vaguely in our tormented crimson skies.
But dry your tears; dry your tears, Mr. Brothers,
Ninoy is dead, but we and our children live,
In all of us, he will continue to live
If we remain faithful to his democratic dream of Peace.
Come, let us dry our tears,
It is time to begin;
And we are not alone.
Mr. Speaker, our country has been rocked by many upheavals through all these years. We have seen our people rebel against tyranny and injustice. Blood has been spilled many times, and yet we remain captive of our own vices and frailties. We are shackled with poverty and we know not how to solve this perennial problem. What we really need, Mr. Speaker, are not rebellions, seditions and coup d’etat. What we need badly is a genuine revolution of the heart as exemplified by our heroes. Ninoy, please inspire us with your outstanding heroism now and forever.”
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