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'The man who came home': A student's tribute to Ninoy Aquino
Manila Bulletin
|August 25, 2025
Coming home from a series of meetings in Makati last Wednesday, I was pleasantly surprised to watch a video of a 13-year-old student delivering a moving tribute to Ninoy Aquino on the eve of Ninoy’s martyrdom 42 years ago.
Allow me to share with you Neo Fresnedi’s piece.
“Good morning, MUNSCI.
“T’m Neo Fresnedi. Thirteen years old. A junior high student—just like many of you.
“Today is August 21. It looks quiet onthe calendar. But history remembers it loudly.
“Forty-two years ago, a man stepped off a plane. He never made it past the tarmac.
“His name was Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. And on that day, he came home—knowing he might never walk again.
“This isn’t just a story about death. It’s about courage. Conviction. It’s about aman who believed that freedom is louder than fear.
“Let me take you back. Ninoy was a trailblazer— mayor at 22, governor at 29, senator at 34.
“He had power, charisma, ambition.
“But when Martial Law hit, he didn’t hide. He spoke up.
“And for that, the regime shut him down. Seven years in prison. Alone. Waiting. With a death sentence hanging above him.
This story is from the August 25, 2025 edition of Manila Bulletin.
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