Noynoy, The Third Benigno Aquino

By Marisse Reyes

 

What is in a name?  In the case of Senator Benigno Simeon Aquino III, more popularly known as Noynoy, his surname does not only hint at his pedigree or bloodline, but the story of a family and that of a nation.

“The only valuable asset I can bequeath to you now is the name you carry,” wrote Ninoy to Noynoy, then 13 on August 25, 1973, the night before he faced a military kangaroo court for alleged anti-subversion during martial law.  “I have tried my best during my years of public service to keep that name untarnished and respected, unmarked by sorry compromises for expediency.  I now pass it on to you, as good, I pray, as when my father, your grandfather passed it on to me.”
“Your great-grandfather, General Servillano Aquino was twice condemned to death by both the Spaniards and the American colonizers.  Fortunately, he survived both by a twist of fate.  Your grandfather, my father was also imprisoned by the Americans because he loved his people more than the Americans who colonized us.  He was finally vindicated.  Our ancestors have shared the pains, the sorrows and the anguish of Mother Filipinas when she was in bondage.”
            “Forgive me for passing unto your young shoulders the great responsibilities for our family.  I trust you will love your mother and your sisters and lavish them with the care and protection I would have given them.”
           
            When Ninoy was assassinated on August 21, 1983, a Prince Charming had awakened a nation, which had slept in lethargy for 11 years with the kiss of his ultimate sacrifice.  He said he regretted having only one life to give, because even if he had a hundred lives, he would have given them all to his country.

If the Aquinos were political kingpins of the second district of Tarlac, the Cojuangcos were of the first district.  They belonged to the same political party, were good friends and got together socially.  The marriage of Ninoy Aquino and Cory Cojuangco was a match made in heaven, as they say. “Just a year after we got married, we both agreed that since Ninoy would be in public life, I would be primarily a mother,” she said.  “He discouraged me from having a career, and I did not fight him, since staying at home was commonly accepted once you had a family.” Cory, who was always supportive of her husband and proud of his public accomplishments, had always remained in the background.

 

Fever for Freedom and Independence

But the world would soon take notice of a Cory, frail of shoulder, but strong of spirit and of courage.  Her father Jose Cojuangco, Sr. was born in Malolos, Bulacan on July 3, 1896, two years before Philippine Independence.  Five months before he was born, the Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, or Katipunan, had established its first issue of the revolutionary Kalayaan.  On August 23, 1896, nearly two months after her father’s birth – Andres Bonifacio and his men pledged at Pugadlawin that they would fight for freedom and complete separation from the Spanish crown.  Four months later, on December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal, a Chinese mestizo, was executed by the Spaniards for creating in his novels a portrait of the Filipinos as a country, free to think and act on its own.  Could her father have possibly absorbed through osmosis, the fever for freedom and independence running through the veins of her forefathers?
His own grandfather, Ingkong Jose from Hongjian village in Fujian, People’s Republic of China, was going through his own personal struggle as a naturalized Filipino.  His son Melecio, the Cojuangco’s first politician, a teacher by profession, won by a majority vote under the Progresista Party campaigning on a platform “ultimate” or “eventual” independence from the Americans.
           

            Born on February 8, 1960, Noynoy is a fourth generation member of the Cojuangcos, who have been running for public office a century back.  He is an economist by training and a public official by profession.  He served three terms as Congressman of the Second District of Tarlac before placing sixth in the May 2007 senatorial elections that earned him a six-year mandate as Senator.  Congressman Peping Cojuangco’s father, Jose Cojuangco, Sr. was a congressional representative.  Peping’s mother Demetria Sumulong who hailed from Antipolo was the second daughter of Senator Juan Sumulong, the sister of Senator Lorenzo Sumulong and Congressman Francisco Sumulong.

As for Cory, how can we say in a paragraph, a book, or several books what Cory Aquino has contributed in the name of freedom and democracy?  If Ninoy had died for his country, Cory devoted her life in service to the nation.  To quote Cory , “we Filipinos were privileged to experience a peaceful revolution.  We got rid of the dictator, spared of the terrible trauma and bitterness of civil war and bloodshed that other less fortunate countries have gone through.  Surely, such a precious gift calls for reciprocation.  What is it that the privilege of EDSA expects of us?”

            Cory said she was committed “topursue the mission I assumed after I left the presidency in 1992… “Nothing more than that our work is meaningful, that it nourishes not only the body but also the soul.  That we render service that is truly fulfilling, which were necessary, goes beyond the call of official duty, the boundaries of our homes and workplace, the limits of ability to give.  That we grow not just materially but spiritually, that we value not only ourselves and our families but the community and the country as well.”
            The Spirit of EDSA means nothing more than being men and women for others.  This is the spirit that I wish all Filipinos could imbibe.  It is the spirit, which promotes personal excellence and service to others.  It is what will sustain our hard-earned freedoms, and make the Filipino people truly deserve the generous blessing of peaceful change that was showered on us in EDSA.”

Beyond the Call of Official Duty

When Cory passed on to the next life on August 1, 2009, millions displayed their grateful and emotional sentiments for a leader who gave her selfless love for country and people.  Was it merely her popularity, which catapulted the public clamor for Noynoy to run either as vice-president, then as president?  If Cory had been there, she would have given her discernment.  Pinky Aquino-Abellada suggested Noynoy consult a Carmelite nun in Zamboanga.  If Ninoy had Fr. Horacio de la Costa, and Cory Fr. Catalino Arevalo, Noynoy should have his spiritual adviser as well.  Ballsy Aquino Cruz, the oldest daughter, was overheard to have asked Noynoy over the phone, “Are you willing to give up six years of your life?”
            It was a modest question, coming from someone who had served as her mother’s private secretary during her presidency.  In her humility she had forgotten to acknowledge that their lives had already been intertwined with that of our nation... suffering through their father’s imprisonment and assassination, their mother’s reluctant presidency and selfless dedication in service to the nation.

On September 9, 2009, 40th day of the death of his mother Corazon Aquino, Noynoy Aquino announced his presidential bid.  A text message that day suggested that if you multiplied the 9-9-9 by 3, you would get 27.  His father Ninoy Aquino was born on November 27.  Noynoy would run in 2010, 27 years after Ninoy’s assassination.  Also, 9-9-9- was also the 252nd day of the year. If you add the three digits, it also yielded a 9.  Is it his destiny?

In 1996, ten years after the historic EDSA Revolution, Cory Aquino may have been prophetic in her warning that
“…Challenges to our freedoms continue to lurk in dark corners, some of them disguised as anti-crime legislation or as proposed constitutional reforms to streamline government.  They also come in the shape of recycled but unrepentant politicians, and discredited ideologues that would take advantage of the democratic space, which the EDSA Revolution had created in our society.  But mostly, these challenges take the form of a general apathy among our people, a tendency to leave everything in the hands of the leaders, and just heap the blame on them if something goes wrong.”
“I believe that such apathy, which has allowed the return of discarded ideas and personalities in the highest levels of governance, goes against the spirit of EDSA.  Our national situation demands nothing less than a return to, the revival of, the Spirit that brought us all to the defense of the Republic, our people and the democratic way of life in the dark days of martial law, and into the dawning of a new day at EDSA.  I do not speak only of providing our warm bodies when needed to make a national statement, but a generosity of spirit, a sharing of our time, efforts, resources, and our very lives if needed, to see to it that others might improve their lives.  I speak of living the Spirit of EDSA in all of our endeavors, whatever is our state and calling in life.”

Beyond his father’s request to take care of his mother and sisters, imbued with the spirit of his ancestors, and armed with the courage of his parents, Noynoy’s SOCIAL CONTRACT WITH THE FILIPINO PEOPLE is a call to action.  His platform is a commitment to change that Filipinos can depend on.  With trust in their leaders, everyone can work and build a greater future together.
 
He is committed to become the nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption.  Education is his central strategy, prioritizing jobs, protection of public health and equal justice to rich and poor. 
For the economy, he sees farms and rural enterprise as vital to achieving food security.  His is a leadership that will execute all the laws of the land with impartiality and decisiveness.  He will create conditions conducive to the growth and competitiveness of private businesses, big, medium and small.  He wants to create more jobs at home, but will prioritize the welfare and protection of overseas workers.
He wants professional, motivated and energized bureaucracies with adequate means to perform their public service missions in government service.  Selection should be based on integrity, competence and performance in serving the public good.
His Mindanao policy will seek a broadly supported just peace and will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao.
His is a government that will encourage the sustainable use of natural resources to benefit present and future generations.

 
In his VISION FOR THE PHILIPPINES, Noynoy sees

• A re-awakening sense of right and wrong, through the living examples of our highest leaders
• An organized and widely-shared rapid expansion of our economy through a government dedicated to honing and mobilizing our people’s skills and energies as well as the responsible harnessing of our natural resources;
• A collective belief that doing the right thing does not only make sense morally, but translates into economic value as well;
• Public institutions rebuilt on the strong solidarity of our society and its communities

The MISSION: which he has chosen to accept is that
We will start to make these changes first in ourselves – by doing the right things, by giving value to excellence and integrity and rejecting mediocrity and dishonesty, and by giving priority to others over ourselves.

            When Noynoy announced his decision to run, Father Manny Domingo, former parish priest of Don Bosco, Makati,  expressed what many Filipinos now feel: “I HAVE BEEN GIVEN HOPE.”