Ninoy Aquino Day
Encyclopedia
Ninoy Aquino Day is a national non-working holiday in the Philippines
observed annually on August 21, commemorating the anniversary of the 1983 assassination of former Senator
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.
. He was the husband of Corazon Aquino
, who was later to become Philippine President
; they are treated as two of the heroes of democracy
in the country. His assassination led to the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos
on February 25, 1986, through the People Power Revolution. In 2004, the commemoration ceremony for the holiday was held and events were attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
and Fidel V. Ramos
.
Unlike other dates reserved for national heroes
of the Philippines
(like Bonifacio Day, Rizal Day
, Araw ng Kagitingan, and National Heroes Day), the date is not a "regular holiday" but only a "non-working holiday".
. Due to his stances, he was later imprisoned for about eight years after martial law
was declared in the country. Even in his imprisonment, he sought a parliamentary seat for Metro Manila
in the Interim Batasang Pambansa
, under the banner of the Lakas ng Bayan
(LABAN). He eventually led in the opinion polls and was initially leading the electoral count but eventually lost to the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
(KBL) slate led by First Lady Imelda Marcos
. Aquino remained in prison but continued to fight for democracy in the country and against the oppression of the Filipino people
. After suffering from a heart attack in March 1980, he and his family moved to the United States
for medical treatment, eventually leading to his self-imposed exile for about three years. There, he continued his advocacy by giving speeches to the Filipino-American communities.
Later, he planned to return to the islands to challenge Marcos for the parliamentary elections in 1984. Though some did not feel this was a good idea, he still did so in 1983. Upon returning to the Philippines at the Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport
in his honor), he was shot and died on August 21, 1983 as he was escorted off an airplane by security personnel. This led to several protests at his funeral
that sparked snap presidential elections in 1986
, which led to the 1986 EDSA Revolution
, catapulting his wife, Cory Aquino
, to the presidency.
on February 25, 2004, twenty-one years after his death and the eighteen years after the People Power Revolution., and was sponsored by Senate President
Franklin Drilon
and House Speaker
Jose de Venecia. It requires an EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) to hold activities in observance the day and shall be funded from the Budget of the Office of the President and from private donations.
A commemoration ceremony was held at the People Power Monument which was attended by Presidents Arroyo and Aquino, the Aquino family, and government officials such as members of the cabinet, top police, and military brass.
The holiday was included in President Arroyo's program of "holiday economics", adjusting the observance of the holiday to the nearest Monday in order to boost the tourism industry with long weekends. In 2010, it was moved back to its original date by President Benigno Aquino III
.
Public holidays in the Philippines
-Regular and Special Holidays:-Other Holidays:* Constitution Day - A non-working holiday on February 2, 2002, in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the approval of the 1987 Philippine constitution....
observed annually on August 21, commemorating the anniversary of the 1983 assassination of former Senator
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was a Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition to the Marcos regime in the years leading to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines...
. He was the husband of Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
, who was later to become Philippine President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
; they are treated as two of the heroes of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the country. His assassination led to the downfall of Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
on February 25, 1986, through the People Power Revolution. In 2004, the commemoration ceremony for the holiday was held and events were attended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
and Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
.
Unlike other dates reserved for national heroes
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
(like Bonifacio Day, Rizal Day
Rizal Day
Rizal Day is a Philippine national holiday commemorating the life and works of José Rizal, one of the Philippines' national heroes. It is celebrated every December 30, the day of Rizal's execution at Bagumbayan, now known as Rizal Park, in 1896.-History:...
, Araw ng Kagitingan, and National Heroes Day), the date is not a "regular holiday" but only a "non-working holiday".
Background
Aquino was a well-known opposition figure and critic of the then-President Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. Due to his stances, he was later imprisoned for about eight years after martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
was declared in the country. Even in his imprisonment, he sought a parliamentary seat for Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
in the Interim Batasang Pambansa
Interim Batasang Pambansa
The Interim Batasang Pambansa or the First Batasan was the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines from its inauguration on June 12, 1978 to June 5, 1984...
, under the banner of the Lakas ng Bayan
Lakas ng Bayan
Lakas ng Bayan was a political party in the Philippines formed by Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. for the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa regional elections. The party had 21 candidates for the Metro Manila area, all of whom lost due to widespread election fraud...
(LABAN). He eventually led in the opinion polls and was initially leading the electoral count but eventually lost to the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan , formerly the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, , is a political party in the Philippines...
(KBL) slate led by First Lady Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos
Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
. Aquino remained in prison but continued to fight for democracy in the country and against the oppression of the Filipino people
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
. After suffering from a heart attack in March 1980, he and his family moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for medical treatment, eventually leading to his self-imposed exile for about three years. There, he continued his advocacy by giving speeches to the Filipino-American communities.
Later, he planned to return to the islands to challenge Marcos for the parliamentary elections in 1984. Though some did not feel this was a good idea, he still did so in 1983. Upon returning to the Philippines at the Manila International Airport (now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , also known as Manila International Airport , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area...
in his honor), he was shot and died on August 21, 1983 as he was escorted off an airplane by security personnel. This led to several protests at his funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
that sparked snap presidential elections in 1986
Philippine presidential election, 1986
The Presidential and Vice-Presidential snap elections were held on February 7, 1986 in the Philippines.-Background:President Ferdinand E...
, which led to the 1986 EDSA Revolution
1986 EDSA Revolution
The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1983-86. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud...
, catapulting his wife, Cory Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
, to the presidency.
History
The holiday was created by Republic Act 9256, which was signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal-ArroyoGloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and is currently a member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga...
on February 25, 2004, twenty-one years after his death and the eighteen years after the People Power Revolution., and was sponsored by Senate President
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Drilon
Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate...
and House Speaker
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is the lower chamber of the...
Jose de Venecia. It requires an EDSA People Power Commission (EPPC) to hold activities in observance the day and shall be funded from the Budget of the Office of the President and from private donations.
A commemoration ceremony was held at the People Power Monument which was attended by Presidents Arroyo and Aquino, the Aquino family, and government officials such as members of the cabinet, top police, and military brass.
The holiday was included in President Arroyo's program of "holiday economics", adjusting the observance of the holiday to the nearest Monday in order to boost the tourism industry with long weekends. In 2010, it was moved back to its original date by President Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III , also known as Noynoy Aquino or PNoy, is a Filipino politician who has been the 15th and current President of the Philippines since June 2010....
.