#ninoy aquino

[spaceasianmillennial]

Recalling strong crowd reactions when I was attending HERE LIES LOVE on Broadway

"History repeats itself." The DJ informs the audience "Imelda's son is now President of the Philippines. Democracies are under threat."

And I could hear someone from the floor holler, "BOOOOOOOOOO!"

Incidentally, I remember this being the performance where some attendees across from me were grinning and waving the Laban sign at Ninoy Aquino's funeral. (The show encourages the audience to wave the Laban sign.)

I know two Filipino reviewers, who saw the show in person. A Black Filipino reviewer wrote a mixed opinion that criticized the lack of Black Filipino cast members and for embellishing the narrative of the Ninoy Aquino/Imelda Marcos romance. One also wrote a mixed review of the original Public production for doing a non-critical reprise of "Here Lies Love" after focus on the revolution (the Broadway version has since changed that, removing Imelda's lyrics and replacing it with a generalized "Here Lies Love" without Imelda's words). Sara Porkalob also wrote criticism of the Seattle production for watering down the actual intelligence Imelda had in politics, and that's a very reasonable criticism for a show that depicts self-mythologizing as poltical strategy.

[thespoliarium]

Historical Parallels?

As a Filipino who's currently interested in Soviet History (not that I'm careless about Philippine History), I cannot help but notice these parallels between Ninoy Aquino and Leon Trotsky, until their death.

Don't believe me? Let's chop this down.

Critics from the Opposition. Trotsky is a critic of the Stalin regime, while Aquino is a critic of the Marcos regime.

Get Out of the Country! Trotsky was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929, going around the world before settling down his last years in Mexico. Aquino was imprisoned at first, but then he had a heart attack while being in the prison. He needed a doctor's help. For this, Imelda Marcos (FEM's wife) let him go to the USA, but Aquino decided to so a self-exile there until 1983, where and when death greeted him.

Behind You! Trotsky was struck by an ice-axe at the back of his head as Mercader snuck up on him. Aquino was stepping down from the airplane when a bullet entered at the back of his head and out of his chin.

Check the Calendar. They died 43 years apart, on a day like the 21st of August. Trotsky died in 1940, while Aquino died in 1983.

Let the Masses See You. They both had the period of lying in state.

Below these are the pictures of them in their deaths, and the funerals. Look at your own risk.

[coybits]

🫡🇵🇭8️⃣2️⃣1️⃣

[popcornbutterfly]

[dennistorejaperez]

Marcos urges unity on Ninoy Aquino Day

Manila, August 21, 2023 — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for national unity as he joined the country in commemorating the 40th death anniversary of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. In a statement issued on Monday, President Marcos acknowledged Aquino’s enduring legacy as a symbol of unwavering determination for countless Filipinos. Highlighting the significance of Aquino’s…

[pressplusdaily]

Marcos urges unity on Ninoy Aquino Day

Manila, August 21, 2023 — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for national unity as he joined the country in commemorating the 40th death anniversary of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. In a statement issued on Monday, President Marcos acknowledged Aquino’s enduring legacy as a symbol of unwavering determination for countless Filipinos. Highlighting the significance of Aquino’s…

[imeldas-left-shoe]

Ballad (Imelda x Ninoy)

The hall was bustling with activity, it was in celebration for the opening of the 7th Congress. Being a popular beauty queen and singer, Imelda was one of the special guests, tasked to sing a few popular Latin ballads. She wore simple today, a red polka-dot dress that ended right below the knee

Imelda was rather shy, avoiding the glances of the mostly-male attendees of the party. Upon noticing an empty roundtable by the corner, she chose to sit there to avoid the people. She opened her pocket mirror, making sure her lip and cheek rouge was still intact, as well as her hair. She quietly sat there for a few minutes before hearing a voice getting nearer.

“Hey, dear,” Imelda looked up to see that it was her lover, Ninoy, who was speaking to her. He was in his usual all-white three-piece suit. “What’re you going to sing first later?”

“FIrst song’s “Recordaré Tu Amor” by Monna Bell, dear,” Imelda replied with a sweet smile. She sang a few lines, impressing Ninoy who then clapped softly. “I can’t wait for you to hear the whole thing.” Imelda said.

Ninoy smiled, “You have a great voice,” Imelda smiled at the compliment, her red lipstick shimmering. Ninoy reached for her hand, kissing it. “Mind if I sit next to you?”

“Of course it’s okay,” Imelda responded, pulling out the chair next to hers. Ninoy sat on the chair and brought out a book he was reading. Imelda couldn’t understand it as it seemed to be technical, based on the few words she saw. 

“Ate Estrella never taught me those words,” Imelda quipped, earning a chuckle from Ninoy.

“Well, it’s a book on economic theories,” Ninoy said, showing Imelda the pages that had various visual diagrams and graphs, “Not exactly layman’s knowledge.” Imelda looked curiously at the various diagrams, and Ninoy could sense an inkling of interest. “You want me to tell you about it?”

“Ah, no need, Ninoy,” She responded, “I’m not really into those heavy things,” She looked over at the first live band that was performing, composed of a woman and three men. “I just want to focus on the joys of life.”

Ninoy scratched his chin, “What do you mean?” He couldn’t grasp the idea of not being into politics. It was a world he grew up in since he was born, after all. His father held a position in the wartime Cabinet, though other family members worked in the farm.

“Oh, the joys of life,” Imelda swooned, “You know, love, beauty, song and dance.” SHe grinned softly, showing off her pearly whites.

Soon, the first rounds of food were distributed while a certain Ferdinand Marcos gave a speech, welcoming everyone to the event. Imelda couldn’t help but steal glances every few bites, as the man seemed to have such a classy look to him, despite his short Ilocano stature.

Ninoy tapped her on the shoulder, “Hey, the lechon skin is going to get cold,” He said, “You should eat it now.” He wouldn't admit it, but he felt a pang of jealousy with her looking at other men. Imelda obliged and continued eating the appetizer.

There were a few more rounds of food, performances, and speeches before it was Imalda’s turn to sing. She calmly went up the stage, smiling at everyone while mentally noting the familiar faces, as well as some newer ones. She began to sing.

Mi vida te recordaré...

En mis ratos de dulce pensar,

El calor de tu boca sensual

Jamás olvidaré.

She sang of someone’s unforgettable love, of a love whose memories will forever be preserved by the one who was loved. The crowd swayed to the soothing tune of the violin as they enjoyed the music, as well as Imelda’s stunning vocals. 

As the song came to an end, everyone clapped and many gave her a standing ovation, including Ninoy…and Ferdie. 

After singing a few more songs, Imelda went back to her seat, visibly tired from standing and singing. “I got you some fine wine from the buffet table,” Ninoy poured wine on the two goblets on the table. Imelda took a few swigs in one go. “Does it taste good?”

“Yes, dear,” She said, smiling. Imelda hadn’t had much wine since her last party was a few months ago. Lately she had been preoccupied with training a fresh batch of Binibining Pilipinas candidates, which left little room for recreation.

The night came to a close, and Imelda joined a few other guests who were on the way to the nearby public transport terminal. It was going to be two buses from here to her small apartment near the bay. 

Ninoy managed to catch up with her, “Hey,” He said.

“You didn’t bring your car, love?” Imelda asked, confused by him seemingly going to the terminal.

Ninoy laughed, “I did, love, that’s why I’m driving you home.” 

“Sure, I guess it’s safer to go with you,” Imelda smiled at him as he held her hand and led her to the parking area where his car, a new Ford, sat.

Ninoy unlocked the car and Imelda rode in the backseat. She put her medium-sized bag that carried her stuff beside her. Ninoy turned on the car radio and set it to classical music, then started driving. It was around ten in the evening and so there were few cars on the road. Imelda seemed to have fallen asleep to the music on the radio. 

When they got to her place, Ninoy gently tapped her in the head, “Wakey wakey, we’re here, sweetheart,” He teased his sleepyhead lover. 

Imelda then got up with her bag, “Thanks for the ride, love” She said as she unlocked the front door to her house. Ninoy sat there in the car for a while, simply admiring his lover’s elegant way of moving. 

“Anytime, love,” Ninoy said, smiling.

[lovelyz-diary]

170812 Lovelyz Seo Jisoo at Ninoy Aquino International Airport © 시작하는사랑 do not edit, crop, or remove the watermark

[pcgamer]

Watch This Window View Landing At NAIA Int. Airport - Air Asia A320

[carlocarrasco]

At least 4 more airports expected to be privatized in 2025

Recently the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced that at least four more airports are expected to be privatized in 2025, according to a BusinessWorld news report. Clearly the recent privatization of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) sparked a wave of change with regards to air travel and the need to modernize airports. To put things in perspective, posted below is an…

[spaceasianmillennial]

HERE LIES LOVE the musical: the finale

On a voter's invite, I re-attended the floor of Here Lies Love on Broadway. Because an audience wrangler noticed I was short and guided me to a stair step, I saw "God Draws Straight" (an ensemble number that notably uses actor-musicians in emotional contrast to an artificial prerecorded score) with a wider perspective.

Last preview on floor, I did NOT see an important stage direction: Arielle Jacobs (Imelda Marcos' actress), Jose Llana (Ferninand Marcos' actor), & Conrad Ricamora (Ninoy Aquino's actor) join "God Draws Straight" as anonymous Filipinos, not wearing politician costumes, joining the People Power Revolution against the Marcos dictatorship.

[thespoliarium]

Ninoy Aquino Jr.

On this day in 1983, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. died was murdered at the tarmac of Manila International Airport (today's NAIA, named after him).

A critic of the former President (& Dictator) Ferdinand Marcos Sr., he was one of the well-known figures of the regime's opposition. He spent his last three years in self-exile at Newton, Massachusetts, USA, before returning to Manila.

But before he could take his steps down Philippine soil, came the gunshots. The events before it and after it were recorded, but not the actual assassination. According to the post-mortem analysis of Aquino's body, the bullet came from the back of his head, and the bullet exiting the chin.

Aurora Aquino, Ninoy's mother did not want to have any make up on his face or a change of clothes, for the people must see what they did to his son. The bloody clothes can now be seen at the Aquino Center in Tarlac.

Moments before his assassination, he gave out his last interview on the plane.

Not long after, he's dead. (Graphic images underneath. Look at your own risk!)

This event sparked something among the masses, waking up from the blindness of this regime. In February 1986 came the snap election, discrepancies between the results given by Commission on Elections (saying that FEM has won) and the results given by National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (saying that Cory Aquino, Ninoy's wife, has won.)

Then, the People Power Revolution occurred from February 22 to 25, 1986. After all that, Cory Aquino became the winner, ending 21 years of the Marcos regime.

[rhk111sblog]

KULELAT PILIPINAS: Vietnam leaves the Philippines in its Dust again as they will be using Biometric Authentication for the Check-In to ALL Airline Flights by next Month already of 2023. Such a System is being used only in limited Numbers in the Philippines, with no plans yet to implement it on all Flights

[nso-csi]

241124 Manila, Ninoy Aquino Airport to Seoul

[mariacallous]

For a decade, the husband of Michelle Bulang, a 44-year-old mother of four, made her life hell. He drank and gambled, failing to provide for her or their four children, even as he forbade her to work. He was also regularly abusive “physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually,” Bulang said, choking back tears. Once, he poured boiling water all over her—her back and legs still bear the scars.

Bulang has since escaped the relationship and not seen her abuser in years, but on paper she is still married to him. The overwhelming power of the Catholic Church in the Philippines means divorce is not legal. That might be about to change. A divorce bill has passed the House of Representatives and faces the Senate, as the power of the church wanes.

“There are two policies which are seen as a litmus test of Catholic influence. The first is abortion, which is forbidden in the Constitution. And the second is divorce,” said Manolo Quezon III, a former speechwriter for Philippine President Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. There are only two countries in the world where divorce is still not legal—the Vatican City and the Philippines. Other heavily Catholic nations legalized the practice long ago, such as Ireland in 1995 and Spain in 1981. But the lingering influence of the church in a country where nearly 80 percent of the population is Catholic is proverbial.

Yet, from 1917 to 1949, divorce was legal in the Philippines. The right was only abolished in 1949 as U.S. control ended and the anti-clerical legacies of the Philippine Revolution faded. Under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the church became a locus for democratic opposition—even as the president was rumored to keep a divorce bill in his desk to brandish at bishops during meetings when he wanted to keep them in line.

The 1986 People Power Revolution that saw the end of Marcos also saw the peak of church authority. The revered Cardinal Jaime Sin, archbishop of Manila, called people to the streets to protest a rigged election. The Philippines faced a potential Tiananmen moment as tanks rolled. But they stopped as nuns praying the rosary knelt in front of the troops and crowds linked their arms behind them. Marcos fell and fled into exile. The new President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, known for her devotion, inaugurated a new constitution that enshrined democracy, banned abortion, and committed to preserving the family.

Those days are fading. “There is a realization that the Philippines is a secular state, and it should not be subscribing to church principles or doctrines, which we respect but not must not control the policymaking processes,” said Rep. Edcel Lagman, who has helped spearhead the divorce bill. On May 22, the bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives with 131 votes in favor, 109 against, and 20 abstaining.

Under the current system, Muslims, who make up about 5 percent of the country’s population, are allowed to divorce. For Christians, their options are to either having their marriage annulled through a civil court, modeled on the Catholic process—reasons including bigamy, psychological incapacity at time of marriage, or use of fraud or threats—or filing for separation—reasons including physical abuse, adultery, abandonment, homosexuality, and drug addiction and alcoholism. The new bill would allow people who currently seek separation for these reasons to now simply seek divorce.

The inadequacies of this system are well understood. It is both extremely expensive and very slow-moving, leaving victims, usually women, trapped in marriages to monsters. Stella Sibonga, a 47-year-old mother of three, has had nothing to do with her husband for decades. Dug out of hiding and marched to the altar after he got an 18-year-old Sibonga pregnant, he took his vows drunk and proceeded to abuse Sibonga and the children she bore. Out of despair, she twice attempted suicide. Later, he tried to kill her and her children with a machete.

In 2005, at age 27, Sibonga left him, and in 2012 she initiated legal proceedings to have her marriage declared null on the grounds of her husband’s “psychological incapacity.” In 2017, a judge ruled in her favor, but the Office of the Solicitor General, charged by the government with upholding marriage, appealed and won in 2019. The case is still ongoing. Sibonga estimates that it has cost her around 300,000 pesos—over $5,000—to pursue the case. This more than most Filipinos will earn in a year. Her experience of the court system is not unusual.

Those who would reform this system smell victory but are treading carefully, keen to reassure the potentially uncertain. “We sympathize with the concern of some of the conservatives as some states have given divorce a bad name. So they don’t want us to have a Las Vegas type of divorce,” said Paul Roxas, an activist with the Divorce Pilipinas Coalition. A recent poll showed that that exactly 50 percent of Filipinos supported divorce among irreconcilably separated couples, with 31 percent opposed and 17 percent undecided.

Navigating the Senate will be tricky. A divorce bill previously passed the House in 2018 but languished in the Senate. So far, at least seven of the Philippines’s 24 senators have are thought to be in favor of the bill. But four have voiced opposition to the bill, and another 8 have previously made statements against divorce. Still, Roxas is optimistic: “A significant proportion of the senators are sort of fence-sitting.” The Divorce Pilipinas Coalition is lobbying hard those they feel are persuadable and has staked out fall back concessions like only allowing people to divorce once in their lifetimes.

Should the bill pass, it will be the fourth big defeat the Catholic Church has faced in 12 years. In 2012, the Philippine government legalized contraception in the face of furious opposition from the church. In 2016, the presidency was won by Rodrigo Duterte, a man who cursed the pope during his campaign. Church condemnations of the man and the extrajudicial killings that took place in his “war on drugs” failed to dent his enormous popular support. And in 2022, the church all but openly opposed the candidacy of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of the former dictator. Nonetheless, backed by Duterte, he romped home to victory.

With each defeat, wariness of church power seems to have faded. “In the Philippines, there is no Catholic vote—in other words, we should not be afraid of any reprisal from the Church during the elections,” Lagman said. Indeed, he claims that private polling shows that congresspeople who endorse the divorce bill actually stand to receive a bump in support.

Father Jerome Secilliano, rector of the EDSA Shrine built to commemorate the People Power protests, says things very different from 1986. “People were already exasperated with the government” when cardinal sin made the call, he says. Now, according to Seciliano, people are “exasperated” with a church they don’t feel is doing enough for them. “Let’s admit it we don’t have the resources to provide for the people,” he said. “We are a poor country, there are so many poor people, and poor people expect too much from you.” Instead, they turn to politicians who can offer patronage, cash, and practical solutions. “And people have more practical needs than the Mass.”

Cultural change is also part of the story. Gone are the days of Seciliano’s boyhood when he would press his forehead to the hand of elders and all heard the Angelus toll at 6 o’clock every evening. “When we talk about LGBT in the 1980s, perhaps people will still believe us. But now it’s 2024—because of the many different opinions offered, it’s now very politically incorrect to even call him homo or gay.” Indeed, the Philippines is already strikingly accepting of homosexuality for a Catholic country, and polling shows that young Filipinos are among the most likely to support the divorce bill.

Not all the cultural change is necessarily inimical to the church. Pentecostal and born-again Christians are making big inroads among the Philippines. Theological differences between Catholics and these groups that once caused bloody wars now fade as these churches make common cause on promoting socially conservative Christian values. One prominent opponent of the divorce bill, Sen. Emmanuel Villanueva, is the son of Eddie Villanueva, a former politician who founded The Jesus Is Lord evangelical megachurch.

Still, it’s not always so simple as that says Joseph Bonifacio, a former pastor with Victory Church, another evangelical megachurch. These non-Catholic churches are less monolithic in their attitudes. “This allows for other voices, including more liberal ones.” A recent statement by the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches expressed opposition to the divorce bill, stating a preference instead for expanding grounds for annulment to dissolve the marriage. Given that the grounds for annulment are, with some caveats, close the grounds on which the current bill would grant divorce, the differences seem largely cosmetic.

The Catholic Church is trying to regroup. “The church needs to become a church of the poor,” Father Tito Caluag said. As the man who gives the evening Mass on ABS-CBN, the Philippines’s largest media conglomerate, he is perhaps the closest the Catholic Church has to a celebrity priest. Caluag is trying to take on this task himself reorganizing the church’s charitable efforts talking about professionalization, data analysis, and new fundraising that reduces reliance on single ultrawealthy donors. Notably past polls suggest the working poor are among those most likely to support divorce. Yet it is hard not to notice that the interview is taking place in the Village, one of Manila’s ultraexclusive gated neighborhoods. Caluag explains it was donated by a pious socialite, now deceased, and wryly accepts the irony.

Other tensions will be hard to solve, too. The church must also be a listening church, Caluag says, invoking the words of Pope Francis. “And we must genuinely listen. Because I’ve heard young people say we’ve talked our so-and-so, and he listened, but at the end of it all, he said was the same thing like nothing had happened.”

But he remains opposed to divorce—as doctrine requires all Catholic priests must be. For stories like Sibonga’s and Bulang’s, however, the church seems to have few answers.

[theresa-of-liechtenstein]

drew this while watching planes at ninoy aquino intl airport and thinking about my favorite extremely contrived headcanon of a filipino british man