San Franciscans honor Ninoy Aquino anew, 36 years after his slaying

Philanthropist and publisher Lisa Yuchengco recalls her awe that imprisonment did not dull Ninoy’s sharp tongue and mind. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly four decades after opposition figure ex-Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr was assassinated at the tarmac of the international airport now bearing his name, friends, supporters, San Francisco Philippine Consulate officials and staff honored him once more at the Philippine Center’s Museo ng Lahing Pilipino.

“Friends Meeting Friends Remembering Ninoy” started with a mass and followed by a recollection by philanthropist, publisher, activist, and Philippine International Aid founder Mona Lisa Yuchengco, who was introduced by Consul General Henry Bensurto Jr.

“I was in awe of Senator Ninoy Aquino (whom I never met) as he was not afraid to go against Marcos, even when he was in jail.  Imprisonment did not dull his sharp tongue and mind.  For many of us, for as long as Ninoy was alive, our hope to quash the dictatorship was still possible.  One man’s bravery inspired many in the opposition to continue the fight,” hoped Yuchengco who had to move to San Francisco with two sons in 1982.  She felt a sense of despair when Ninoy was assassinated but her fears were eased somewhat when countless demonstrations were held in front of Philippine Consulate in the aftermath of the 1986 snap elections.

Atenean Bong Posadas, who bought this Ninoy T-shirt fifteen years ago, made sure he preserved it to remind of Ninoy’s relevance to speak against dictatorship and stand up against the challenges to democracy. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

Shortly after the Cory government took over, country, Yuchengco started the Philippine International Aid (PIA) so that Filipinos living in the U.S. could channel their resources “to help the Motherland.”  For the last 33 years, the PIA remains strong and still sends tens of thousands of poor Filipino children to school.

“But the work is far from finished. Our democracy and freedom will constantly be challenged by would-be dictators, power-hungry politicians, and now, narcissistic leaders, not only in the Philippines and the United States, but also in other parts of the world.  We must do whatever we can to protect and preserve our moral souls,” reminded Yuchengco.

Guests and supporters of assassinated Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr. hear mass at the Museo ng Lahing Pilipino in commemoration of his 36th death anniversary.

Talking for the Aquino family, Ninoy’s brother-in-law and companion on his last plane ride to Manila former ABC News correspondent Ken Kashiwahara spoke of “miraculous” signs that happened after Ninoy’s death.

“The first sign came at Ninoy’s house in QC was to lie in state, and thousands were waiting to view the body and pay their respects 24/7 for almost a week. Then Cory told me she wanted to hold a news conference to demand that Marcos release all  political prisoners, a sign that she would continue Ninoy’s mission to end the dictatorship,” Kashiwahara disclosed.

Ninoy Aquino’s Concepcion, Tarlac, townmates Jocelyn Rabang (extreme right), Gloria Castro (extreme left) and Donny de Leon (second from right) remember Ninoy as their youngest mayor, vice-governor, governor and senator who campaigned in his hometown in a helicopter and captured the popular imagination with the slogan “Ninoy is my boy.” INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“Then of course the funeral. The procession from the Church to the cemetery that took eleven hours because of the million mourners. That was another sign that people power was truly born.”

Ninoy’s sister Lupita Kashiwahara, in an interview, confided that she hoped that the Department of Education could put a course that will include Ninoy’s life so that students will be given a chance to read about Ninoy’s story.

Ken Kashiwahara together with the Aquino family wondered what happens right after Ninoy’s assassination and was glad signs that led to people power manifested right on the first day of Ninoy’s wake. INQUIRER/Jun Nucum

“His story is so close to my heart, to my life. I directed his TV program every week for four years. Do I want to make a movie out of his life? Yes, but not the regular movie from birth to death but a segment of his life that would teach a lesson on something that both the current leaders and the children of the next generations can think and meditate on.”

South Bay KTVU’s former news division bureau chief and Hawaii-born Filipino American Lloyd LaCuesta narrated that he, without intending to, paved the way for a big crowd of demonstrating Filipinos to enter the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco immediately after Marcos fell.

“I showed up because I was a reporter and they were slamming and locking the (Consulate) doors. I was standing out there with a camera crew. Then a guard from inside recognized me and they opened the door. I stuck a microphone and that enabled the crowd behind me to push through the doors and that is how they got inside the building,” amusingly recounted LaCuesta who also covered the 1986 snap elections in Manila that also gave him a chance to learn about his parents’ heritage.

“It was an eye-opener for me to see how the Filipinos responded to a dictator because of Ninoy Aquino. Our people never forgot. It is a very big part of my heritage now being a Filipino,” LaCuesta intimated.