That may be what it is to you, but to me, it’s different. Pardon my insolent tone, but it’s people like you who made all *this* possible. So Ninoy isn’t a hero to everyone. So the circumstances behind his assassination are dubious. Big deal: Ninoy Aquino, for a time, stood for something bigger than himself.

I’m 23. As a young man, I’ll inherit a broken country anyways. Not the least of which is because of the actions – and the inactions – of some members of your generation. And you guys don’t care about that? You’d rather criticize and prophesize our doomed nation and you don’t do something about it? You don’t believe that our people are worth the death of men who believe in something bigger than themselves?

You guys have the benefit of the doubt of jadedness because of your green cards, your dual citizenships, your visas, your passports. Some of you don’t want anything to do with this country anyways. Some of you don’t believe this country and its people are worth some ultimate sacrifices – no matter how dubious or questionable it is.

That, Sir Mike and Sir Bencard, makes me sick.

I’m not a hero myself, and I won’t be one. I myself, gentlemen, am questionable. But somewhere down the line, I know – and I believe – that no matter how wrong Ninoy was, he was right: our people are still worth dying for. And the fact that he died 25 years ago, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Thank you, and again, pardon my insolent tone.

aquino was an arch political rival of marcos. as a big-time politician prior to martial law, aquino’s name was not pristine. we may never know the real low-down on the man from the perspective of marcos and his allies but many of us have read about the accusations against him by his political enemies.

in any event, from the relative safety and peacefulness of his refuge in boston with his immdeiate family, he insisted on going back home where he knew he would be confronting the dictator. i’m inclined to think that the risk of losing his life was a calculated gamble that he took against his (and his family’s) better judgment. marcos’ health was fast failing at the time, his grip on power was showing signs of loosening, and the u.s. support appeared to be waning. aquino, i believe, thought that marcos would not “allow” his killing because he (aquino) realized it was unnecessary and marcos might have more to lose than gain if he did so. i think aquino believed that he was the “rightful” successor to marcos should the latter die or fade away.

to me, ninoy aquino may be a “hero” but not a greater hero than a private who got blown away in mindanao, while fighting to preserve the territorial integrity of his country.

The philippines will always be a corrupt country because of its ignorant people. Ignorant from the idiotic priests who join political movements to the blind followers of the country. It is said that, “If you throw some food at the filipinos, you can make them do anything.”