Benigno Aquino’s arrest-a page torn from history
Dear Mouse,
Today is the anniversary of Martial Law.
Many after-martial-law babies do not understand why many people hated the Marcoses.
Many do not know why people love Kris Aquino despite her sins and "scenes".
I watched the The Correspondents.
I saw old pictures of the Marcoses, a typical family—the father and the mother doting on their children. How I wished they had stayed that way. The last videos shown were the extravagant parties held in Malacanan and The Maharlika in honor of the jetset friends of the First Lady.
So Imelda used half of the World War 2 reparation fund in the construction of the CCP complex.
So the Dictator kept on borrowing and asking for US aids because of the threat of communism in the country.
I saw my “favorite Conrad de Quiroz”an author of a book about martial law. I haven’ read his book. I wonder if it tells about the Benigno Aquino’s arrest as told in the Conjugal Dictatorship.
A month before the declaration of martial law,he was already warned by former mayor Antonio Villegas. The Senator knew it was for real but he thought it was not yet time.
The nagging question was why Aquino did not flee when he received the confirmation minutes before he was going to be arrested. According to the book, he didn’t he follow the warnings of some people who offered some few minutes for Him to escape. The offerors were Juan Ponce Enrile, Tatad and Gatan.
One theory was that he did not want to become fugitive and the a second theory was he underestimated Marcos.
The few people whom Aquino spent his last few minutes as a free man were: Senate Majority Floor Leader Arturo M. Tolentino who at the last moment did not believe that a martial was declared.; Sonny Osmena, to whom Aquino broke the news that martial law had been declared;Ambrosio Padilla; Marcelino Veloso and Lorenzo G.Tevez.
They were at the Manila Hilton that night when Col. Romeo Gatan ( a protégée of the Senator himself handed to Sen.Aquino the arrest order signed by Enrile.
Aquino prevented his bodyguards from doing anything and he asked Gatan if he had any choice. After shaking hands with his colleagues, he went peacefully with the arresting officer.
The same scene was repeated when he was escorted out by the military personnel out of the plane that brought him back to the country.
The Ca t
posted by cathy @ 9/21/2004 09:56:00 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
I think both theories were true: he didn't want to become a fugitive and he underestimated Marcos because Marcos was a frat brod (?) Or maybe he got too cocky thinking that there is nothing to fear when you believe that what you're doing is good for the country.
Ninoy had a plan to save the Philippines. Andy had a plan, too. They had the same objective but their methodologies clashed.
Segway: Kris Aquino is not her father's daughter as far as I'm concerned. If he was alive, I bet Ninoy wouldn't approve of most what she's doing with her life.
I think both theories were true: he didn't want to become a fugitive and he underestimated Marcos because Marcos was a frat brod (?) Or maybe he got too cocky thinking that there is nothing to fear when you believe that what you're doing is good for the country.
Ninoy had a plan to save the Philippines. Andy had a plan, too. They had the same objective but their methodologies clashed.
Segway: Kris Aquino is not her father's daughter as far as I'm concerned. If he was alive, I bet Ninoy wouldn't approve of most what she's doing with her life.
I'm not a fan nor a believer of Ninoy as he has been made out by some people. I always thought that his decision to come back to the Philippines after "extending" his medical trip to the U.S. was due to one thing only--personal ambition. He couldn't be a president in the U.S. Not even a president in exile. There was only one place where he could take the shot. So he came back. It was be president or die.
Perhaps, the same mentality drove his even during the 70s. Getting "arrested" would make him look heroic--a victim--in the eyes of the people.
Yes to both Doc Emer and Sassy. Ninoy underestimated how much power Marcos was hungry for. Never knew that it was beyond greed. That and backed by Imelda's -- deadly combination.
Ninoy wanted to become President eversince. He wanted his time to come and Ted Koppel's having forced Marcos to bite the election in 1986 was the right time for Ninoy to stage a comeback. Or so he thought.
salamat sa inyong mga comments. Talagang gusto kong
malaman ang mga pangyayari nang panahon na yon.
baka ayaw nga ni ninoy maging fugitive. perhaps he was afraid that it'd be more dangerous. or i guess it was disbelief. ganoon din naman tayo when we are given bad news. for a while, we'll be paralized.
ako personally, tingin ko ay gusto ni ninoy mag serve na presidente. that was his dream (you can call it ambition) - to lead a post marcos philippines. if you have that desire, siyempre you can't do it in boston.
just a side story... before they were able to "physically" arrest ninoy, they first went to my hubby's uncle who also lives on Times St. they raided his house and arrested him and his brother-in-law. he got mistaken for ninoy because he looks exactly like him. they were released eventually.
years later, the uncle became marcos' ophthalmologist. marcos went to the states to have his eyes checked and the surgeon told him that he didn't have to go to the states because the BEST eye surgeon lives in Manila. btw, my hubby's uncle, incidentally, pioneered eye laser surgery in the philippines. he went to UP Med and Harvard Med schools.
tenks for the additional info purplegirl.
it must have been traumatic for them.
Perhaps it's true that humor is sometimes used to deal with important things we don't really understand. And if such is so, i would concur why so many jokes, rather comments such bizarre as the ones posted on this blog abound.
Least you suspect that I'm an authority in this field, let me raise in advance my two clean hands replete with cropped armpit & shivers saying "I am not" coz I'm not done yet.
My ignorance compels me to insinuate that Ninoy's intention was pristine-get back to the Philippines, galvanize the country's creme-de-la-creme to the limits against Martial Law & presto, go for a do or die presidential derby for the country's 180-degree spin from the brink of death. After all, aren't we as a people, not worth dying for?
Ninoy to my mind, did not underestimate Marcos, his Marcosian tactics & all-he is far too savvy than that of falling to such a ploy.It's just that he firmly believes in the truth & of God & that destiny wills itself.
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