Pinoys visit Ninoy tomb as nation marks his 78th birth anniv

As the nation marked former Senator Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr.'s 78th birth anniversary Saturday, Filipinos flocked to a memorial park in Parañaque City to pay their respects to the hero and martyr who was assassinated in 1983. Many Filipinos went to the Manila Memorial Park and visited the tomb of Aquino, father of incumbent President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported. The report said security personnel guarded the memorial park but did not indicate when the President and members of the Aquino family would go there. Flowers decorated the area around the tombs of the former senator and his late wife, former President Corazon Aquino. Tents were also set up near the two tombs.
Earlier, Malacañang said activities have been lined up to commemorate the 78th birth anniversary of the former senator. But President Aquino is likely to mark the occasion privately and solemnly, the Palace said. The Benigno S. Aquino Foundation said President Aquino and the Aquino family were expected to hold a private family mass on Saturday. Ninoy was born into a highly respected family of politicians based in Tarlac province. His paternal grandfather, General Servillano Aquino, was a leader of the Philippine revolutionary army that fought the Spanish regime and then the American occupation army at the turn of the century. His father, Benigno Aquino Sr. served as a assemblyman and then senator under the American colonial government, and as Speaker of the puppet National Assembly during the Japanese occupation. At 22, Ninoy became mayor of his hometown Concepcion, then governor of Tarlac at 29, and was elected to the Philippine Senate at age 34. As senator, he was a staunch defender of human rights and became a top critic of the administration of Ferdinand Marcos. He was among the first opposition leaders imprisoned by Marcos when martial law was declared in 1972. In 1980, Ninoy was allowed to fly to the United States along with his family to seek medical treatment for his heart ailment. He spent three years in US exile. Despite advice from friends not to return, he decided to come home after learning of the deteriorating political situation in the Philippines. He was assassinated by troops of the government's Aviation Security Command on Aug. 21, 1983 at the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport. The airport has since been named after him. "His death paved the way for his wife Cory to continue what he had left behind – the battle for the restoration of freedom and democracy," a Palace statement said. "Twenty-seven years after his death, Ninoy continues to inspire the Filipinos to take up the challenge of restoring freedom and trust in the country’s democratic system," it added. — LBG/JV, GMANews.TV