Senate President Franklin Drilon on Monday called on everyone not to dishonor the sacrifices of the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr. by trivializing human life, saying he would have been the first to protest the ongoing bloody drug war if he was alive.
“If Ninoy were alive today, he would have condemned the death of a teenager, a son, a child, a mother, and a father. Ninoy valued life as much as he valued freedom,” said Drilon.
“If he were alive today, Ninoy would have been in the forefront of the fight against police impunity and the government’s acquiescence. If Ninoy were alive today, he would have rallied every Filipino to protect the democracy and the freedom those who came before us,” Drilon said.
“We honor his death by constant vigilance, not complacency or complicity. I have every faith that the Ninoy in all of us, regardless of party, will prevail in protecting the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth which he died for. Having said that, I join the call of the Catholic Church to put an ‘end to the waste of life.’
“I cannot support a war on drugs where the sole benchmark is the number of deaths that we see every night. I join the church in calling for a reorientation of the fight against drugs. Success should not be based on number of deaths but on the number of lives redeemed.” “On the Senate investigation, I support an investigation that is impartial. Thirty-four years ago, Marcos formed the Fernando Commission to investigate Ninoy’s death but was dissolved after two hearings because of perceived bias. I hope the Senate investigation to investigate Kian’s death will not only investigate the events that led to Kian’s death but to find the root cause and reexamine why Kian’s death and all other killings had to happen in the first place,” Drilon added.
Drilon was among those who paid their respects to the resting place of Benigno Aquino Jr., at Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City on Monday morning to mark the late senator’s 34th death anniversary.
A Mass was held which was attended by former President Benigno Aquino III, his siblings, relatives and supporters.
Aside from Drilon, also in attendance were Senators Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, and Antonio Trillanes IV.
A short program was held where former President Aquino said that after 34 years, Filipinos cannot tell Ninoy that the Philippines has changed since the country is still facing the same problems.
He cited the death of Kian delos Santos, who was killed by Caloocan cops during a police operation last week, as one such problem.
The former President said he was struck by what Delos Santos’ mother said in an interview that no parent should bury his/her own child.
He added he remembered his grandmother, the mother of the late senator, who said it was very painful to hear the news that Ninoy was killed.
The late senator, a known rival of then President Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport.
Aquino, meanwhile, thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for recognizing Ninoy’s sacrifice for the sake of democracy, but added that he hoped the President would re-read his own statements.
Senator Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the government should think of another way to curb the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country and urged the current administration to go after syndicates that bring in illegal drugs instead of focusing on the poor.
Senator Bam Aquino, nephew of the late senator Ninoy, recalled that during the Marcos dictatorial rule, violence and corruption prevailed and the people lost their voices and justice.
He noted that it took somebody to die for freedom and justice before the Filipino people became aware. He said one of them was the slain senator.
“Now that violence prevalls, how many more will suffer before the Filipino people wake up?” he asked. “Kian was among those killed,” said Aquino, referring to 17-year old Kisn De los Santos who was killed after being dragged by policemen and forced to hold a gun.
“Hindi rin siya nag-iisa. At dadami pa ang tulad niya kung hindi tayo magkakaisa upang matigil na ang karahasan at pang-aabuso ng may kapangyarihan. Sa araw ng paggunita kay Ninoy, mahanap sana natinmuli ang ating boses, tapang, at, higit sa lahat, ang labis nating pagmamahal para sa bansa,” he added.
