A piece of Ninoy in me
Lilita Balane, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 08/29/2008 11:05 AM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
Twenty-five years ago, as the country was under the iron hands of a dictator, when activists and opposition leaders were detained or joined the ranks of the disappeared, a man in white suit said, "The Filipinos are worth dying for."
It was a time when the press was silenced. Still, the man in white suit took the courage to convince Marcos to restore democracy.
As Ninoy Aquino was about to descend to the tarmac, four gunshots rocked the Manila International Airport. The man in white suit was brutally shot in the head.
His death, according to many, awakened the minds of the Filipinos to regain their rights which were seized during Marcos's despotic rule. They said that his sacrifice made people realize that neither threats nor bullets could hinder those who aspire for freedom and democracy.
As someone born after Ninoy's death, I don't have a clear picture of what martial law was like. I don't have a memory of the day when Ninoy was assassinated, nor of the millions of people who joined protests to topple Marcos' dictatorship. I only have pieces of information from watching documentaries, from reading post-martial law articles, from discussions in class, and from the stories relayed by my parents.
Twenty five years after Ninoy's death, it seems that Ninoy’s death has not led to the changes he wanted to achieve. From the stories I hear and read, little has changed in the country.
Some who are critical of government fear for their lives. The media, though free, still suffer intimidation through libel and killing of journalists. The President, though no longer a dictator, runs a government tainted with anomalies.
Speak truth to power
I believe, though, that Ninoy has inspired Filipinos and encourage many to stand up and expose irregularities in the government.
As he said in Boston in 1981, "I have faith in the Filipino. I believe with all the resources at his disposal and given the facts and the truth, the Filipino can resolve any difficulty and achieve his vision of a good and just society."
Today, many Filipinos are willing to risk their careers and even their lives to speak truth to power.
I know of journalists, public officials, and ordinary people who are not afraid to expose plunderers and corrupt politicians, even if they receive death threats and series of libel suits.
I know of Eugenia Duran Apostol, a woman who joined the "mosquito press" after Ninoy was killed. She began publishing articles openly critical of the dictatorship.
I know of people like Jun Lozada, who helped unveil the controversial $329-million national broadband network deal.
I may not be Ninoy, with all his intelligence, passion, eloquence, humor, and conviction, but as a journalist I can be a mirror of the things he has lived for and died for. My commitment is to report the truth.
Twenty-five year after his death, many Filipinos have picked up the pieces of what Ninoy left--- the courage to speak the truth, the courage to fight for freedom, for democracy, and for justice.
I may not be Ninoy, but I have a piece of Ninoy in me.
