The grandson also rises

As far as Francis "Kiko" Aquino Dee, grandson of the late President Cory Aquino and martyred opposition leader former Sen. Ninoy Aquino is concerned, the fight continues.

- JOANNE RAE M. RAMIREZ

As far as Francis "Kiko" Aquino Dee, grandson of the late President Cory Aquino and martyred opposition leader former Sen. Ninoy Aquino is concerned, the fight continues. But he's not going to slug it out in the political arena in the battle for the ballot. He prefers the arena of discourse, where protests are voiced and thumbs, not fists, speak volumes.

"I'm trying to say no (about running for public office) in the clearest possible terms," Kiko told me in a Zoom interview last Aug. 21, the 42nd death anniversary of his Lolo Ninoy and the first death anniversary of his paternal grandfather Ambassador Howard Dee.

No conditions, not even a million signatures?

"No, it's my red line. It's really something I don't want to get into. And the more I think about it, it's something I'm thankful for. I think I can speak more freely and frankly when I'm not worried about the opinion of the random person on the Internet who is a voter and who can influence other voters. If I don't have to worry about their opinion, then I can just keep saying what I want," says Kiko, eldest child of Richard Dee and his wife Viel Aquino, the fourth child of Ninoy and Cory.

Kiko is co-convener of the Buhay ang People Power Campaign Network and deputy executive director of the Ninoy and Cory Foundation. He drew attention last Aug. 6 when he made a thumbs-down gesture at the Senate plenary during the voting on the motion to archive the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. The Senate voted to archive the impeachment complaint against Duterte, citing the Supreme Court's decision that it is unconstitutional. That thumbs-down made the news, a definite thumbs-up in terms of newsworthiness.