martyr vs hero

It's August 21 and the 39th death anniversary of Ninoy Aquino - the catalyst that ignited the unraveling of the Marcos conjugal dictatorship. 

Beloved father, mother, and son would be sacrificed for love of country - the Philippines, pillaged by another set of reviled father, mother, and son. 

funeral procession of former Philippine Senator Ninoy Aquino

Until the mastermind behind Ninoy's very public, very bungled assassination is named and held to account - he remains a hero in waiting, martyred for our country's freedom. 

His wife and son sat as presidents yet were not able to unravel the disaster decades brought on by Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. 

funeral of former Philippine President Cory Aquino

Today we have their son sitting as president of the land that has yet to recover from their reign of horror. Do we dare hope that he will not do worse than they did? Is that how low our bar is set? 

After six years of Rodrigo Duterte and three years of a pandemic - both left to ran amok in corruption and non-management - the Filipino nation is depleted and bereft. 

funeral of former Philippine President Noynoy Aquino

What will it take to return the Philippines to its people with trust, liberty, and honor? We may not have the answer yet though it is abundantly clear that it most definitely will not be another Marcos. 

Whatever it will take to bring them down, they are who the Philippines needs to stand united against. Like the Shah of Iran, or Idi Amin, or Pinochet - every member of this dictator's family must be stripped and held accountable. 

Aquino family graves

Condemned and incarcerated for all their accumulated atrocities. Until then, the Aquino deaths remain our nation's shame as martyrs not the heroes they should be.