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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 8, 2021 16:28:02 GMT
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 8, 2021 16:41:26 GMT
Tidbits of the TL: Chapter 1: 1.) Ninoy leaves Boston to return home to the Philippines. 2.) Arrival in Singapore 3.) Ninoy arrives in Taiwan 4.) Ninoy's last interview from Taipei
Chapter 2: 1.) August 21st, 1983: Final flight to Manila 2.) Final interview while flying back to Manila 3.) The day that changed the Philippines forever
Chapter 3: 1.) Segment on Corazon Cojuangco Aquino 2.) The Aquino family 3.) Breaking News alerts on the incident at Manila International Airport 4.) President Reagan on the fallout of Aquino's assassination 5.) The Aquino family returns home to the Philippines 6.) Segment on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos 7.) Segment on Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos 8.) Paying respects to Ninoy 9.) August 31st, 1983: Final Farewell to Ninoy & the long funeral procession to Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque.
Chapter 4: 1.) National highlights of the Philippines in August 1983. 2.) Segment on General Fabian Ver & how he ruled the AFP with an iron fist. 3.) Segmemt on Philippine National Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile. 4.) Segment on the opposition leaders in the aftermath of Ninoy's assassination & the ramifications. 5.) Cardinal Jaime Sin. 6.) General Fidel Valdez Ramos.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 29, 2021 20:31:44 GMT
COMING UP IN THE AQUINO'S Sunday, August 21st, 1983: The day that changed the Philippines forever....
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 16:19:50 GMT
Chapter 1: Ninoy returns home to the Philippines 4:35 PM EST, Saturday, August 13th, 1983 Logan International Airport, Winthrop, MA In the first quarter of 1983, former Philippine Senator Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., received news about the deteriorating political situation in his country including the declining health of his arch-rival, authoritarian Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos (due to lupus & kidney failure). He believed it was expedient for him to speak to Marcos & present him his rationale for the country's eventual return to democracy, before extremists took over & made such change impossible. Moreover, Aquino's years of absence made his allies worry that the Filipinos might have resigned themselves to Marcos' violent strongman dictatorship & that without his leadership, the centrist opposition would die a natural death. Knowing the inevitable of danger & death was awaiting him back in the Philippines, Aquino stuck to his plans on returning home....
In deciding to go back home to the Philippines, Ninoy was fully aware of the dangers that awaited him. Warned that he would either be imprisoned or killed, Aquino answered, "if it's my fate to die by an assassin's bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction, or fear of assassination, & therefore stay in the side....." His family, however, learned from a Philippine Consular General official that there were orders from the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to issue any passports for them. At that time, their passports had expired & their renewal had been denied. They therefore formulated a plan for Aquino to fly alone (to attract less attention), with the rest of the family to follow him after two weeks. Despite the Philippine government's ban on issuing him a passport, a sympathizer working in a Philippine Consulate through the help of Roque R. Alban, Jr., then a Congressman. The Marcos government warned all international airlines that they would be denied landing rights & forced to return if they tried to fly Aquino to the Philippines. Aquino insisted that it was his natural right as a citizen to come back to his homeland, & that no government could prevent him from doing so. He boarded a plane along with his brother-in-law, ABC News correspondent of San Francisco, CA., Ken Kashiwahara (who was married to Ninoy's sister, Lupita) including several others & left Logan International Airport on Saturday afternoon, saying goodbye to his family for the final time, taking a circuitous route home from Boston, MA via Los Angeles, CA then later to Singapore, then Tunku Ibrahim of Johor met Aquino upon his arrival in Singapore & later brought him to Johor, where Aquino met with other Malaysian leaders. Once in Johor, Aquino with Tunku Ibrahim's father, Sultan Iskandar, who was a close friend of Aquino's.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 16:31:35 GMT
Ninoy arrives in Singapore 12:25 PM SST, Sunday, August 14th, 1983 Singapore, Singapore Besides meeting with Sultan Iskandar & others, Aquino was then quietly whisked across the border to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he met with high-ranking officials from Indonesia, Thailand & Malaysia, to explain to them why he was going back home to the Philippines & what he had hoped to achieve. Former Lanao del Sur Congressman Rashid Lucman helped Aquino circumvent Malacanang Palace's order not to issue passports to the Aquino family, providing him with a passport under the alias "Marcial Bonifacio"---reference to Martial Law as well as Aquino's detention at Fort Bonifacio. Back in Singapore, Aquino picked a Taiwanese passport visa for his Bonifacio passport.
Knowing that Taiwan & the Philippines no longer had diplomatic relations due to the Philippine government's severance of ties in 1975 by aligning with the PRC; this made Aquino feel more secure; the Taiwanese government could pretend they were not aware of his presence. There would also be a couple of Taiwanese friends accompanying him. He also believed there would be fewer chance of his being discovered by Philippine government officials while in Taiwan.Attachments:
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 17:41:27 GMT
Ninoy arrives in Taiwan Friday, August 19th, 1983 Grand City Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan After picking up a Taiwanese visa for his Bonifacio passport, on August 19th, Aquino prepared to fly to the next destination: Hong Kong, where he would be changing planes for Taipei, Taiwan. At the check-in counter, however, the ticket agent looked at Ninoy's passport, & in apparent surprise, dropped it. She then called her supervisor. "This is it, they've got me," Ninoy had assumed to himself. But the ticket agent allowed him to board the plane, & he never found out why she dropped the passport. For his flight from Hong Kong to Taipei, Ninoy swithced to the Bonifacio passport; except for the Taiwanese passport visa & a fake Manila departure stamp, which someone had forged for him in the United States, the passport pages were clean--which aroused the suspicions of the immigration officer in Taipei, which scared some of Ninoy's friends, "Uh-oh. Here we go again..." they thought, with the assumption the Taiwanese government would hand the former Philippine Senator over to Philippine authorities.
"Where did you come from ?" the immigration officer asked. Ninoy responded quickly "From Manila." "But the flight came from Hong Kong," the officer pressed. "Yeah, but I had to fly to Hong Kong to make a connection because I couldn't get a direct flight." Ninoy was convincing & very persuasive. With no other alternative, the officer let Aquino go ahead to board the next flight.
In Taipei, Ninoy stayed at the Grand Hotel. Soon after arriving, Ninoy received indirect notification that China Airlines had learned about his presence in Taipei. He was also stunned by this development & decided to something about it: notifying the Taiwanese government through an intermediary to determine if the government would prevent him from boarding the China Airlines flight.
Shortly, through another intermediary, the Taiwanese government responded: "We have never heard of Aquino & we do not know he is in Taiwan." Ninoy was relaxed for a little bit. He also noticed there was bad blood between Marcos & the Taiwanese government of Taiwanese President Chiang Ching-kuo, when Marcos in 1975, unceremoniously rejected Taiwan's Ambassador to the Philippines & established diplomatic relations with Beijing.
On Saturday, August 20th, the journalists who were to accompany Ninoy & his friends to Manila arrived in Taipei, & Ninoy spent most of the day & night being interviewed in his hotel room.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 17:48:20 GMT
COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 2 OF THE AQUINO'S Sunday, August 21st, 1983: Ninoy's final interview with ABC News Correspondent Jim Laurie aboard China Airlines Boeing 767...
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 18:16:40 GMT
Ninoy's last interview 7:41 PM TST, Saturday, August 20th, 1983 Taipei Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan Ninoy had spent most of the day being interviewed inside his hotel room, the reporters had asked about the alleged assassination plot, which he answered with bravura, although-as he was to indicate later-he still believed that the plot was a typical Marcos ploy. "Assassination is the part of public service," he told one reporter. "Look what happened to President Reagan. If my fate to die by an assassin's bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction or fear of assassination & therefore stay in a corner." To a Japanese TV crew, he said: "You have to be very ready with your hand camera, because this action can happen very fast. In a matter of three, four minutes, it could be all over & I may not be able to talk to you again."
He had been in constant telephone contact with his family & supporters in the Philippines & he told another reporter he had received word that he might be "hit" at the airport & that the assassin would be shot in return. "That's why I'm going to wear this," referring to a bullet-proof vest. "But if they hit me in the head, I'm a goner." Through tragically prophetic, it was not so much a premonition as an indication of another rumor he had heard. Still on the eve of an uncertain homecoming, Ninoy seemed to take the death threats more seriously than he had in the past. Max Vanzi, a UPI correspondent, had just arrived from San Francisco with the latest wire story from Manila: General Fabian Ver, Marcos' powerful right-hand & Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was quoted as saying that if Aquino arrived in Manila, he would be put back on the plane & returned to his departure point.
Ninoy dismissed Ver's statement as preposterous, laughing at the notion of himself becoming a diplomatic ping-pong ball: Marcos sending him back to Taiwan, Taiwan refusing to accept him & sending him back to Manila. But in the same wire story, Ver also warned that Aquino might be assassinated at the airport. When he heard that, Ninoy's face fell: "Oh my God!" he muttered. Ver was the Philippine government official Ninoy strongly distrusted the most & rightfully so, describing him as blindly loyal to the President. "Ver is so loyal if Marcos told him to jump from a building, he would salute & say, 'What floor sir ?'" Ninoy replied.
Later when all of the reporters had left the hotel room, Aquino & his brother-in-law, Ken Kashiwahara were alone inside the hotel room, he commented that this was the first time Ver had talked publicly about assassination. He voiced another concern. He had just heard from Manila that the opposition leaders would not be allowed to meet him at planeside. He had wanted them there to demonstrate to Marcos that the opposition was united. "That's a bad sign," he said. "What it means is that they're going to play hardball. You know," he added quietly, "the best thing might be if they turn the plane around tomorrow." He still considered assassination only a remote possibility & certainly not at the airport-not with reporters & cameramen accompanying him. Ninoy's biggest concern was also that the Philippine government might stop the plane at the end of the runway & whisk him off to prison where he would be held incommunicado.
Kashiwahara told him of the preparations being made for his Manila homecoming. Leaflets were being distributed at universities, yellow ribbons were being tied to trees (to recall the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree," about a former prisoner returning home) & a big crowd was expected at the Manila International Airport.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 18:36:59 GMT
Chapter 2: Ninoy's final flight to Manila 5:00 AM TST, Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Taipei Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan Ninoy & his brother-in-law Ken Kashiwahara eating breakfast inside his hotel room before heading to Manila. Overnight, Ninoy had only slept for just four HRS. Up by 5:00 AM Sunday morning, he said his rosary again & called his wife, Cory, in Boston for the last time. She read the Bible to him. He also spoke briefly with his five children & cried. He then sat down & wrote each of them a letter. When his brother-in-law, Ken Kashiwahara arrived in Ninoy's hotel room, Ninoy was his usual exuberant self. Ken was wearing a biege safari shirt similar to the ones he used to wear when he was covering the Vietnam War. Ninoy looked at him & broke out in a huge grin "My God, man, what's that you're wearing ? You look like you're going to cover a war!" Kashiwahara responded "Look at you," he bantered. "What are you, a white knight in shining armor ? & look at that patch ? What does that stand for ? Boy Scouts of America ?"
For a moment, Kashiwahara became serious "Listen," he said. "if they come to get you on the plane, I want you to tell them that your brother-in-law is with you & you want him to go with you." Ninoy agreed.
The mood at breakfast continued to be jovial. He had ordered room service: eggs, bacon & toast. He asked for ketchup, which he poured over his eggs. He always ate his eggs this way. Kashiwahara looked in mock revulsion & said "That's disgusting."
Ninoy talked about the phone call to his wife & said "One regret I have is that Cory has had to suffer so much." Ninoy's political career had kept him away from home a lot & Cory knew there was some risk in his return home, but had stood by him. "You know Kris really wanted to come with me," he continued wistfully. Kris was his 12-year-old daughter & the youngest of the five Aquino children. "But I had to tell her 'no'". After packing belongings & other things, it was time to leave Taipei for the trip back to Manila.....Attachments:
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 19:24:59 GMT
Final interview of Ninoy Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Somewhere over the outskirts of Taiwan As the Boeing 767 reached cruising altitude, the cameramen & reporters noisily went into action, crowding the aisles near Ninoy's seat. They were quickly asked to go to the rear of the airplane, which was virtually empty.
Former Philippine Senator Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr., being interviewed by ABC News Correspondent Jim Laurie aboard China Airlines Boeing 767 during the flight to Manila.
Ninoy spent most of the in-flight time posing for photographs & giving interviews. Finally, interviews over, Ninoy returned to his original seat, but was besieged by a handful of Filipino passengers. One woman kept kissing him & the cameras rolled again. Ninoy was embarrassed. "My wife's not going to like this," he muttered. Other Filipinos asked for his autograph. One shoved her passport in front of him & asked him to sign it. He started to do so. "Noy, you can't sign a passport!" Kashiwahara exclaimed. He hadn't realized what he was signing & autographed her boarding card instead.
Just before the plane began its descent, Ninoy took out his bullet-proof vest, went to the bathroom & put it on. When he sat down again, he turned to Kashiwahara & wondered if we were going to land. There had been speculation that the Manila control tower would refuse permit the plane to touch down & would order it back to Taipei. "I think it's a victory if we just land," Ninoy said. "Everything else is a bonus." As the plane descended over a Philippine landscape of rice fields & rural villages, Ninoy reached into his bag & handed Kashiwahara a box. "Here," he said, "I want you to have my watch." Kashiwahara was stunned. "Why ? Why are you doing this ?" Ninoy replied "I just want you to have it." Kashiwahara took it as a symbol of their adventure together.
Then he repeated some instructions he had given his brother-in-law earlier. "Don't forget to go to my house as soon as we land & have someone take my belongings to me in prison. It's the same stuff I had there before. They'll know." Kashiwahara turned away for a few minutes, & when he looked back, Ninoy was fingering his rosary beads, his lips moving in silent prayer.
As the China Airlines jet touched down, Kashiwahara turned & said: "Noy, we're home." Ninoy smiled. Then came some tense minutes while the plane taxied. Kiyoshi Wakamiya, a Japanese correspondent & closed friend of Ninoy's who sat next to Kashiwahara, was clearly agitated. Looking out the window, he exclaimed that the tarmac was deserted. Kashiwahara leaned over to look. As the China Airlines jet taxied by other planes by the terminal, the absence of activity appeared ominous. But then Kashiwahara caught a glimpse of two maintenance men under two of the planes & dismissed the fear.
As the jet turned into Gate 8, Wakamiya could see part of the welcoming crowd in front of the terminal building. Ninoy looked pleased. But as they pulled into the gate, Kashiwahara noticed several soldiers dressed in khakis standing under the jetway. A vehicle was parked there, too. Then a blue van pulled up, the back door opened & a group of soldiers dressed in blue fatigues & carrying rifles & pistols jumped out, fanning out around the plane. Inside, a ripple of nervous chatter spread through the plane as people crowded the windows, watching the activity on the tarmac. Shutters clicked in a half-dozen cameras. What would happen next would alter the course of Philippine history & the entire world............................
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 20:01:57 GMT
The day that changed the Philippines forever Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Manila International Airport, Manila, Philippines As soon as the engines of China Airlines shut down, three khaki-clad soldiers began climbing the service stairs of the jetway. The tension increased very fast. "Noy, they're coming to get you," Kashiwahara warned. He was nervous, but still assumed they were going to escort Ninoy to prison & that the soldiers in blue were there as "window dressing"---to provide security because of the alleged assassination plot.
Passengers began standing up to disembark. Cameramen & photographers remained at the windows. Then came an announcement over the plane's intercom: "Would all passengers please remain on board." For a few seconds there was silence, then everyone resumed talking.
The three soldiers began making their way down the aisle, stepping around photographers & cameramen, who by now were standing or kneeling on seats, camera shutters clicking. The first soldier walked right past Ninoy, but the second one, who wore sunglasses, recognized him. The third soldier bent down; Ninoy smiled & shook his hand (Kashiwahara remembered Lupita [his wife & Ninoy's sister] once telling him that Filipinos are cordial even to their enemies.) They exchanged a few words in Tagalog. Then Ninoy stood up from his seat & the three soldiers began to escort the former Philippine Senator & opposition leader out of the plane.
By now, the sound of excited chatter had gone up several decibels. All the while, the shutters clicked & cameramen, photographers & reporters shouted & jostled for vantage points.
Kashiwahara waited for Ninoy to tell the soldiers that he wanted his brother-in-law to accompany him, but he didn't & began walking away from him. Over the noise, Kashiwahara shouted a reminder to him: "Noy, can I go with you ?" He turned back & looked at him for a split second, unsmiling. Without breaking stride, he quickly said the final words uttered in his life: "Yeah, come on!" The last soldier leading him out was just ahead of Kashiwahara, who leaned forward & said "I'm his brother-in-law. Can I go with him ?" The soldier turned back & ordered "You just take seat!"
Undeterred, Kashiwahara decided to follow anyway, but the passenger compartment became chaotic. Television crews & photographers jumped in front of him to follow too, pushing & shoving as they left the plane & stepped onto the jetway leading into the terminal. But once inside the jetway, the soldiers abruptly pushed Ninoy out the service door. Plainclothes security guards who had been waiting in the jetway pushed the windowed door shut & blocked it on the outside. Cameramen & reporters pushed against the door, shouting at each other & at the guards. Kashiwahara pushed too, straining to see over them, but he wasn't able to get a clear view.
Then all of a sudden just nine seconds after Ninoy went out the door, everyone inside heard the gunshot: BANG! There was instant pandemonium. Everyone pushed harder, trying to get the door open. Four seconds later, everyone heard three additional gunshots ring out: BANG, BANG, BANG! This time, the jetway was filled with shouts. Then all of a sudden, a burst of automatic-rifle fire. "GODDAMMIT!" Kashiwahara yelled. "Bastards! Bastards! This wasn't supposed to happen! It couldn't have happened!"
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 20:21:24 GMT
The Aftermath..... Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Manila International Airport, Manila, Philippines Struggling to get any view of what was going on outside, Kashiawara had to see what's going on, but couldn't in the crush. He ran to a window of the jetway, but couldn't see anything from there either. Reporters & camera crews stampeded back into the plane, hoping for a better view. He ran after them. Inside the plane, passengers were screaming. The journalists were pushing against the windows to see what was happening, climbing over passengers to do so.
From the perspective of Kashiawara: "What happened? What happened? I shouted, shaking with rage. Vanzi, the UPI correspondent, approached. "I'm sorry," he said, a stunned look on his face. "I saw him on the ground. He was shot in the head. There was a lot of blood. I'm sure he's dead."
"Are you sure it was him? Are you sure?" I was frantic. Vanzi replied, "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sorry man." I wasn't satisfied. I asked Wakamiya. "They killed him! They killed him!" he gasped.
By the time I fought my way to the window, Ninoy's body was gone. The soldiers had lifted him into the blue van & driven off, I was told. There was only a body dressed in blue on the tarmac.
"Those bastards! Those---bastards," I muttered over & over. Reporters began asking passengers what they saw. Some passengers were crying; some reporters were in a state of shock. Photographers were still pointing their cameras out of the windows. With Ninoy's body gone, the only thing I could think of at that point was getting out into the terminal to tell my wife, Lupita & Ninoy's mother what had happened.
I ran through the jetway toward the terminal. There was a long line at the immigration center. I ran to the front & told first man in line: "My brother-in-law has been shot. I have to get through." He quickly stepped back.
Once through immigration, I ran into some journalists who were there to cover the homecoming. "Where's Lupita?" I asked frantically. Lupita had been the family's contact with the press. They pointed me to the VIP room in the far corner of the terminal. On the way there, some members of the family called my name & tried to stop me. I kept walking.
The VIP room was jammed with reporters & cameramen. I called for Lupita. Cameras began pointing toward me; microphones were thrust in my face. "What happened?" they asked. I didn't answer. I found Lupita. I was still shaking. She took me into a corner. I told her what happened. Someone else struck a microphone between us. I lost my control. "Get that goddamn thing out of my face!" I yelled, shoving it away. "He was my brother-in-law." Unconsciously, I had used the past tense. I saw Ninoy's mother, Dona Aurora Aquino, sitting in a chair looking at me, deep sorrow in her eyes. I didn't have the heart to tell her. I went over, kissed & hugged her. "Mommy" was all I could say.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 20:41:20 GMT
Chapter 3: Cory 2:46 AM EST, Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Newton, MA After getting some confirmation that Ninoy was dead from several TV correspondents including ABC News correspondent Jim Laurie, Kashiawara was taken by his wife, Lupita telling him "Let's get out of here." Their vehicle itched its way through the horrendous Manila traffic & his impatience grew with every second. He wanted to get to a phone to call Cory (Ninoy's wife of 29 years). He had promised he would call as soon as they got to Manila.
Once again, Kashiawara's account on the day's events: Finally at the home of one of Lupita's sisters, I phoned Boston. I was still shaking. I dreaded making the call. Cory answered & spoke very calmly. She had already been called by Japanese Congressman Shintaro Ishihara, a close friend, who had heard the news from Wakamiya. I related more of the details. Cory is amazingly strong, I thought, stronger than I. She said she was doing Ok., relatives were on their way over to the house in Newton, MA. She thanked me for all I had done for Ninoy. I was touched she would say such a thing at a moment like that. I emphasized we still had no official confirmation that he was dead. She asked me to let her know of any developments.
A few minutes later, the phone rang. It was an Army officer from the Fort Bonifacio Hospital. He said Ninoy was there. "Is he dead or alive?" Lupita shouted repeatedly into the phone. Knowing the inevitable confirmation was coming, the Army officer didn't answer. Our hopes were raised again. Lupita raced out the door to the hospital. I said I would stay at the house & asked her to call me as soon as she confirmed anything at all. An anxious HR passed before she finally relayed the message to me.
I called Cory again. Ninoy was dead. With Ninoy gone, his death was the slow beginning of the end of the authoritarian Marcos dictatorship. Family members & closed friends overlooking Ninoy's body inside Fort Bonifacio Hospital. Attachments:
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 20:49:39 GMT
COMING UP IN CHAPTER 3 OF THE AQUINO'S The aftermath of Ninoy's assassination & the ramifications for the Philippines going forward
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 6, 2021 21:17:48 GMT
The Aquino family 3:46 PM EST, Sunday, August 21st, 1983 Newton, MA Upon getting news of Ninoy's death, the entire Aquino family was very devastated by the death of their father, brother, uncle, cousin. It was especially heartbreaking for Ninoy's immediate family: his wife of 29 years, Corazon, who held it together for the family (while secretly breaking down in private behind closed doors by herself) & their five children: Ballsy, Pinky, Noynoy, Viel & Kris. Almost immediately, they began to make plans to return home to the Philippines for good & among the current plans: laying Ninoy to rest & began participating in rallies against the Marcos dictatorship.
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