Ninoy's Assassination Analysis

The documentary was a very interesting revisiting of my childhood education on Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. My memories on Ninoy’s killer conjure only three names: Rolando Galman, Fabian Ver, and Ferdinand Marcos. However, after watching the videos, it seems like the truth is still very much blurred.

Before delving into the symbolism of Ninoy’s death, I would like to share my own conjectures on the perpetrators and their objectives. Personally, I think the indisputable facts are that (1) Ninoy was shot in the head by someone who was in an elevated position behind him (as shown by the autopsy), (2) there were at least two people who were tasked to be the killers at the actual scene (as shown by the audio “Ako na” and “Pusila”), and (3) one

The man took the time and effort to conceal his travel plans from the Marcos regime, but it all seemed to be a fruitless effort since the whole country knew of his arrival! Marcos and the people who planned Ninoy’s assassination were prepared for him even before Aquino’s plane landed.

A more covert operation on Ninoy’s part would have been more effective if he truly wanted to yield tangible results through his own actions. Perhaps he wanted the fanfare. Perhaps he wanted to visibly reignite the flame of hope within the people, and to that end, I believe that he did achieve palpable results, albeit owing to his death.

Backpedaling a bit, even though I believe that Marcos did not himself order the assassination, this does rule out the fact that one of his subordinates or associates independently did. It could have been Ver or Cojuanco, and if it were the latter, the government’s story would align with Martinez’s. I think that after the fact, Marcos did learn the true identity of the killer and his puppeteer, but merely hid the truth since it would nevertheless implicate the Marcos government. Thus, he placed the blame on Salas and the CCP, which was not very

The gaps were filled in and the story taught to school children, depicting Ninoy the glorious hero and Marcos the defeated dictator. However, inconvenient facts such as Marcos’s propelling of the Philippines into a potential tiger economy and Cory’s less than effective agrarian reform programs were given less attention. I am not trying to defend all the wrongs the Marcos’s committed nor am I trying to dilute the Aquinos’ feats, however I have learned from this exercise to more than ever, read history with objectivity and