This year, Ninoy Aquino Day was rightfully celebrated on the date of the martyrdom itself. I have long objected against holiday economics where the commemoration of historical events is transferred to either Friday or Monday to prolong the weekend. Some dates should be considered sacrosanct and immune from the whims and caprices of those in power. August 21 is such a date. We belittle the sacrifice of our heroes if our commemoration of their martyrdom has to be sacrificed before the altar of economics. Furthermore, holiday economics does not in any way contribute to the development of our collective historical sense.
August 21 is a reminder of Ninoy’s courage and indomitable spirit to resist an oppressive dictatorial regime. His sacrifice woke many Filipinos from apathy. Despite attempts in the past to revise history, the willing sacrifice of Ninoy is beyond question. He could have chosen the safety, and the comforts of American life, plus the loving presence of the family in Boston. But even as he was aware of the risks to his life, he came home. And the rest, as they say, is history.
But I want to make two caveats even as we remember Ninoy Aquino. First, we also belittle the sacrifices of others if we limit the narrative of resistance to Martial Law to that of Ninoy Aquino alone. There were other martyrs, like Dr. Bobby de la Paz who chose to serve the poor people in Samar, student activist Ed Jopson, and defender of indigenous rights Macli-ing Dulag, priests like Godofredo Alingal and Rudy Romano. Many others with no established names were tortured before they were salvaged.
Second, martyrdom was far from the mind of Ninoy before Martial Law. This point I want to develop further. Prior to Martial Law, Ninoy Aquino was like any ambitious politician. He was more honest than Marcos but just as driven by ambition. Just like many politicians, Ninoy would love that public attention, or adulation, be focused on him. This is no indictment. Almost all politicians are ambitious and want to achieve the highest pinnacle of political power. In this sense, politicians like Leni Robredo and Vico Sotto are a rare breed. They are fresh exceptions that would validate the general rule.
I am currently reading the book “The Drama of Dictatorship: Martial Law and the Communist Parties of the Philippines” by Joseph Scalice published by Ateneo Press. An interesting and important assertion of the book is that many politicians, including Aquino and Marcos, had ties with rival factions of communism in the Philippines. How could they have possibly linked with an ideology that would spell the end of capitalism wherein they both thrived? I guess they all were thinking “whatever would help us attain (or retain) power.”
But Ninoy Aquino underwent a process which many politicians of the past have not experienced, and which politicians of today have to experience: conversion. The multi-awarded journalist Stephen Karnow would write of Ninoy in his book, In our Image: America’s Empire in the Philippines, “Never devout, he began to pray and, he recalled afterward, Christ appeared in a dream, rebuking him for forsaking religion in his quest for power. His ‘conversion’ as he called it, led him to realize that despair and indignation would not help him.”
Oftentimes, adversity chastens a stony heart and Ninoy Aquino was no exception. The long period of solitary confinement led him to prayerful introspection. One can compare the writings of Ninoy before imprisonment and the letters he wrote while in prison and see that he was a changed man. That could explain his readiness to return to the country and face the consequences. That could explain his obstinate refusal to compromise with the dictatorship.
We examine ourselves when we feel the gap between the high ambitions and the low actualization. In contrast, those who experience success and power are often not inclined to soul-searching. Should we wait for tragedy to befall us before we examine ourselves? In the words attributed to the Athenian philosopher Socrates, “An unexamined life is a life not worth living.”