Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787272098486Screen Shot 2026-07-02 at 8.27.01 AM (17).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"> President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. <em>PCO/Facebook/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday commemorated the 43rd death anniversary of Benigno Aquino Jr., his father’s political rival.</p><p>“The memory of Ninoy Aquino reminds us of the courage of Filipinos to stand by their convictions and contribute to our nation&#x27;s democratic journey,” the President said in a statement.</p><p>“Ninoy Aquino Day, therefore, invites us to acknowledge the past and draw from it the resolve needed to safeguard freedom, strengthen our institutions, and deepen national unity,” he said.</p><p>While the challenges confronting Philippine democracy “may have changed over time,” the collective “responsibility to reinforce it remains,” Marcos Jr. said, underscoring that “disinformation, division, distrust and civic indifference” have fractured national affairs in recent years.</p><p>“Ninoy&#x27;s legacy encourages us to meet these challenges with vigilance and faith in the Filipino people as we work together to deliver meaningful progress for all,” he said.</p><p>“This day reaffirms that freedom carries with it a collective duty to respect the dignity and rights of others and to contribute to the good of our nation,” he said.</p><p>The Marcos Jr. administration “will remain steadfast in protecting our sovereignty, upholding the rule of law, and ensuring that the liberty we cherish is matched by real opportunities for every Filipino,” the Philippines’ 17th President said.</p><p>“Together, let us carry forward the lessons of our history as we continue to nurture a more peaceful and prosperous Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.</p><p>“May we all have a solemn and purposeful remembrance.”</p><p>Aquino was imprisoned in the 70s along with other vocal critics of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s decades-long rule.</p><p>The statesman was allowed to travel to the US in 1980 for a heart surgery after he suffered cardiac arrest while in prison.</p><p>After 3 years in exile, he returned to the Philippines and was gunned down shortly after disembarking the plane at the then-Manila International Airport.</p><p>Rolando Galman was tagged as the gunman in Aquino’s assassination, but after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, a court convicted 16 military personnel for murder of the opposition senator.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nP0ZDctu7wU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said "the memory of Ninoy Aquino reminds us of the courage of Filipinos to stand by their convictions and contribute to our nation's democratic journey.” </p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said "the memory of Ninoy Aquino reminds us of the courage of Filipinos to stand by their convictions and contribute to our nation's democratic journey.”

‘Acknowledge past in order to safeguard freedom’—Marcos Jr. on Ninoy Aquino Day

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‘Acknowledge past in order to safeguard freedom’—Marcos Jr. on Ninoy Aquino Day

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 21, 2026 08:33 AM PHT

Read More:

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Ninoy Aquino

Ninoy Aquino Day

democracy

politics

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