22/08/2026
How accurate indeed is this statement attributed to Ninoy Aquino and a certain John Marquez here advances his own conspiracy theory that "Ninoy Aquino or his family planned his assassination": a perfect example of a conspiracy theory, "... an explanation for an event or situation that asserts the existence of a conspiracy (generally by powerful sinister groups, often political in motivation), when other explanations are more probable. The term generally has a negative connotation, as it can often be based in prejudice, emotional conviction, insufficient evidence or paranoia. A conspiracy theory is distinct from a conspiracy; it refers to a hypothesized conspiracy with specific characteristics, including but not limited to opposition to the mainstream consensus among those who are qualified to evaluate its accuracy, such as scientists or historians."
Ebidensya po ninyo sa malisyoso ninyong paratang na si Ninoy Aquino mismo at kanyang pamilya ang nagplano sa pataksil na pagpaslang kay Ninoy o alam nina Pangulong Cory at Noynoy kung sino ang may pakana sa pagpaslang kay Ninoy ngunit tumahimik na lang sila at wala silang pakialam na bigyan iyon ng katarungan? Dahil kung wala kayong ebidensya, iyan ay malinaw na paninirang puri sa mga taong pumanaw na at wala nang kakayahang ipagtanggol ang kanilang sarili. Makunsyensya naman po sana kayo.
Contrary to your most despicable lie, it is not true at all that nothing was done during President Cory's watch to seek justice for Ninoy. It should be remembered that in 1985 all those charged for the murder of Aquino were acquitted in a trial scripted and stage-managed by the one then lording in Malacañang. For being a sham trial, said court proceedings were nullified by the Supreme Court after the 1986 February People Power Revolution, which led to the conviction of the accused military personnel during the re-trial of the case, with the court ruling that it was Moreno who fired the fatal shot (which belies the claim of this Martinez that it was Galman who did so; the same Martinez who has been claiming that it was Cojuanco who masterminded the assassination which you are insinuating to). The case has already attained finality, so how could President Noynoy still pursue it? In the very first place, how could Cory do anything about an alleged revelation made when she was no longer the President and when the case already attained finality when his son became President? Cory after all is not like the one you are defending who has no qualms unduly influencing separate and independent branches of government.
Whoever orchestrated the killing of Ninoy, most certainly has done so, because he was a threat to the ruthless Marcos dictatorship which has robbed our people of their basic rights and freedoms. Regardless of whether or not Marcos is part of the conspiracy, the undeniable fact is that it was done for his benefit, to continue his iron grip on political power. We must bear in mind that it was a military court under the control of Marcos which meted a death sentence on Ninoy. It will be the height of naivete to believe that Marcos did not have any hand at all in that death sentence. The death sentence was not carried out but only because there was a worldwide condemnation of it and not because Marcos did not want to implement it.
Excerpts from Ninoy Aquino's statement before Military Commission No. 2, August 27, 1973
*****
August 27, 1973
Fort Bonifacio
Military Commission No. 2
Dear Sirs:
I have been in almost complete solitary confinement, I have suffered terrible loneliness and endured many indignities. My desolation has purged me of all hatred, bitterness and rancor.
That despots should resort to the old device of bogus plots and fake conspiracies to convict their opponents is as old as recorded history. Coercion, violence, human degradation, the total suppression of civil liberties, censorship of the mass media, the wholesale disparagement of politics and political processes, the imprisonment and ex*****on of political enemies, abolition of Congress, and the rule by decree, have been resorted to by dictators on the pretext that such measures are necessary 'to destroy a powerful enemy that threatens the people.'
Mr. Marcos has grabbed almost unlimited power because he claims the democratic methods bequeathed to us by our heroes and Founding Fathers have become ineffective. He has embarked on the ambitious program of fashioning a New Society where the people must be held together with military discipline and led as if they were a bunch of sheep, too stupid and too blind to be allowed to proceed in the direction of their own choice.
I take it as an article of faith that truth will not come to light in the governance of public affairs without a free press and a free market of ideas. It is my belief that martial rule can only cripple the Filipino — his lofty spirit, his initiative and originality, his moral courage and mental energy, his genius and industry, all the forces that make a nation great and strong. At best, martial rule can only bring about collective mediocrity.
To arrest a man and imprison him in some army camp unless he submits to a life in which he receives no choice of his goals, to close every door to him but one, no matter how noble and benevolent the motives of those who planned it, is to sin against the truth that he is a man, a being with a life of his own to live. I cannot share such a view.
*****
I have faith in the Filipino. I believe that with all the resources at his disposal and given the facts and the truth, the Filipino can resolve any difficulty and achieve his vision of a good and just society.
I believe that the Filipino will respond to the call to greatness not by coercion but by persuasion, not by intimidation but through the ways of freedom.
All that I hold sacred, the inherent dignity and worth of every human being, his freedom of thought and speech and press, his liberty to choose — without fear or pressure — the public officials of his own choice, and the great principles of democracy handed down to us by our forebears have all been set aside for the convenience of one man’s continued stay in power.
*****
I understand my lawyers have stated before the Supreme Court why a Military Tribunal cannot assume jurisdiction over criminal cases against civilians in times of peace. The whole civilized world recoils at the thought of civilians being dragged before military courts and tried as ordinary criminals.
But there is something that transcends all other considerations, something that is unique in the case against me. Two years ago, on August 24, 1971-three days after the horrible massacre in Plaza Miranda-I was accused and pronounced guilty of the same charges by the President himself, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He could have ordered the charges against me filed with the civil courts since 1971 but he did not. He waited for his own brand of martial law and ordered the creation of military tribunals. With due respect to all of you, how can this Military Commission reverse the President? Even if you want to because of your sense of justice, nonetheless under Presidential Decree No. 39, the President has the power in any case to change of reverse your decision.
*****
Sirs, I know you to be honorable men. But the one unalterable fact is that you are the subordinates of the President. You may decide to preserve my life, but he can choose to send me to death. Some people suggest that I beg for mercy. But this I cannot in conscience do. I would rather die on my feet with honor, than live on bended knees in shame.
My friends and relatives have been harassed. Some have been detained. The witnesses I intend to call are all afraid. I want to save all from further agony.
I have therefore decided not to participate in these proceedings: first, because this ritual is an unconscionable mockery; second, because every part of my being — my heart and mind and my soul — yes, every part of my being is against any form of dictatorship. I agree we must have public order and national discipline, if the country is to move forward. But peace and order without freedom is nothing more than slavery. Discipline without justice is merely another name for oppression. I believe we can have lasting peace and prosperity only if we build a social order based on freedom and justice. My non-participation is therefore an act of protest against the structures of injustice that brought us here. It is also an act of faith in the ultimate victory of right over wrong, of good over evil. In all humility, I say it is a rare privilege to share with the Motherland her bo***ge, her anguish, her every pain and suffering.
Mother Filipinas once again has been led back to her dark dungeon in chains. Her sons and daughters lie prostrate and defenseless, ruled by decrees and governed once more by the hated law of the might — namely that might makes right.
Mr. President, Honorable Members of this Commission, I fully realize the consequences of my decision. You have your own duties to perform, I have my sad fate to meet.
I have chosen to follow my conscience and accept the tyrant’s verdict.
May God have mercy on all of us!
Sincerely,
BENIGNO S. AQUINO, JR.
*📷: "Ninoy Aquino: The Willing Martyr," Alfonso P. Policarpio, 1986
