Is the Filipino worth dying for?

CTALK

- CITO BELTRAN

Tomorrow, Aug. 21, 2025, some of us will commemorate the murder or assassination of Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. on the apron of the Manila International Airport on Aug. 21, 1983.

For those who still remember, Ninoy Aquino was the one who said, "The Filipino is worth dying for" and so he returned to the Philippines in the misguided hope of speaking with the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. towards national reconciliation.

Ninoy Aquino "got his wish," along with a .357 bullet hole through his head. He died believing the Filipino was worth dying for. Approximately three years later, the "People Power" revolution drove out the Marcoses and placed Ninoy's wife Cory as president.

Thirty-two years later, the Aquinos, except one, are either dead or out of the limelight, along with Ferdinand Marcos Sr. who was given a hero's burial. The faces of the Aquinos on Philippine currency have been removed, while people are confused if Aug. 21 is a "non-working holiday" or not.

But the issue is not about the politics and history between the Marcoses and the Aquinos. The question remains: "Is the Filipino worth dying for?" I won't sing to the chorus about all the sins and imperfections of Filipinos because it achieves nothing. Besides, we all know our sins only too well.