TULA, LIHAM TALUMPATI LAUNCHED
MANILA,
AUGUST 22, 2011 (STAR) (PHOTO - The Ninoy Aquino
monument along Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas in Makati City reminds
Filipinos of his martyrdom 28 years ago. EDD GUMBAN)
| Zoom MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino and his siblings will
commemorate with a private Mass today the 28th death anniversary of their
father, former senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., who was assassinated upon
returning from exile in the United States.
The President will also open an exhibit dubbed "Ninoy, My Hero" at the SM
Megamall Atrium.
In a statement, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda called on the public to
remember Ninoy's sacrifice for the country.
"May the Filipino people never forget him and the many others who fought for
the restoration of our democracy, and may future generations continue to hold
dear the example Ninoy Aquino set for us through his life, his struggles and his
sacrifice," Lacierda said.
Aquino's death in 1983 sparked massive protests against the Marcos
dictatorship that culminated three years later in the popular uprising known
worldwide as the People Power Revolution of 1986.
Former senator Agapito "Butz" Aquino, second from left,
releases a dove beside a state of his brother,
the late senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. ,
as Filipinos commemorate his death anniversary
in suburban Manila, Philippines on Sunday Aug. 21, 2011.
Sen. Joker Arroyo said the memories of Ninoy's assassination are
"simultaneously inspiring and unsettling" because the masterminds of his murder
were never brought to justice.
"We cannot help but be painfully reminded as well of how the wheels of
justice for Ninoy had turned from irony to travesty to caricature where the
lowly and hapless soldiers were convicted for Ninoy's murder, while the
masterminds were never charged," he said.
There were calls in the past to reopen the case but the Aquino family
rejected these. The soldiers convicted of murder served their time in prison,
some of them dying in detention.
The weather bureau, meanwhile, advised those who have scheduled outdoor
activities commemorating Ninoy's death anniversary to be prepared for rain
showers.
Weather forecaster Glaiza Escollar of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical
and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the intertropical
convergence zone is expected to bring rain showers and thunderstorms to the
whole country in the afternoon and evening.
Light to moderate winds blowing from the northeast to southeast are to
prevail over Luzon, and coming from the southwest to west over the Visayas and
Mindanao.
Coastal waters throughout the country, meanwhile, will be slight to moderate.
- Aurea Calica, Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan
Ninoy's letter to son in book launched at NAIA tarmac today
By Juaniyo Y. Arcellana (The Philippine Star) Updated August 21, 2011
12:00 AM Comments (16)
(Photo
shows the cover of the book 'Ninoy: Mga Tula, Liham at Talumpati,' a compilation
of the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr.'s poems, letters and speeches.)
Benigno Aquino Jr.'s letter to his son is included in a book of the late
senator's poems, letters and speeches that will be launched today at the tarmac
of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), site of his martyrdom 28 years
ago.
"Ninoy: Mga Tula, Liham at Talumpati," published under the auspices of the
Ninoy Aquino Movement (NAM), Philippine International Theater Institute and the
Komisyon ng Wikang Pilipino, gathers 13 poems, eight letters, and two speeches
of the senator, with their corresponding translations.
Launch is set at 10 a.m., with assembly 30 minutes earlier at the tarmac and
NAIA departure area.
The poems, most of which sound like prayers or meditations written in prison,
include "The Candle of My Life," here translated into 23 languages among them
Malaysian by recent Manila visitor Anwar Ibrahim, and "I Have Fallen in Love
with the Same Woman Three Times," which had been set to music by Jose Mari Chan
and now translated into Filipino as "Tatlong Ulit" by Isagani Cruz.
As a bonus, the poems also list "Prayer for a Happy Death" by former
President Corazon Aquino.
The letters gather under one cover Ninoy's singular correspondence with each
of his five children, wife Cory, and good friend and fellow senator and
detainee, the poet Soc Rodrigo, during the years of his incarceration under
martial law.
In his letter to his son and namesake Noynoy, who would ascend the presidency
at the same age as Ninoy's death at 50, the senator writes: "I may no longer be
around to give you my fatherly advice." This book however may be that advice and
constant guide.
The speeches include one that remained undelivered and was meant to be made
upon his arrival that fateful day in August, and indeed was prescient: "A death
sentence awaits me."
Added features are a collection of winning text poems about Ninoy Aquino, and
a copy of Republic Act 6639 enacted in July 1987 renaming the airport to NAIA.
In an opening message, Rafael Lopa of the Ninoy & Cory Aquino Foundation said
the book "Ninoy" makes more historic and meaningful the 28th commemoration of
the senator's martyrdom.
In commemoration of Ninoy Aquino's death anniversary, a simple celebration
will be held at the NAIA tarmac at 9:30 a.m. today.
The program will start with music by a lyre band from Tambo Elementary School
at 9:30 a.m. followed by the book launching of "Ninoy: Mga Tula, Liham at
Talumpati."
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Honrado
would give the welcome remarks followed by several other speakers.
A Mass would follow after a quick response from the Aquino family and from
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and dialogue partners.
The last part of the celebration will be the ASEAN flag display and floral
offering at the departure area. - With Rudy Santos
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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