PLEASE VOTE FOR NOYNOY AQUINO
LIHAM NI NINOY KAY NOYNOY
August 25, 1973
Fort Bonifacio
11:30pm
Mr. Benigno S. Aquino III
P E R S O N A L
My dearest Son:
One of these days , when you have completed your studies I
am sure you will have the
opportunity to visit many countries. And in your travels
you will witness a bullfight.
In Spanish bullfighting as you know, a man - the matador
-
is pitted against an angry bull.
The man goads the bull to extreme anger and madness. Then
a moment comes when the
bull, maddened, bleeding and covered with darts, feeling
his last moment has come, stops
rushing about and grimly turns his face on the man with
the scarlet "muleta" and sword.
The Spaniards call this "the moment of truth." This is the
climax of the bullfight.
This afternoon, I have arrived at my own moment of truth.
After a lengthy conference with
my lawyers, Senators Jovito R. Salonga and Lorenzo M.
Tanada I made a very crucial and
vital decision that will surely affect all our lives:
mommie's, your sisters', yours and all our
loved ones as well as mine.
I have decided not to participate in the proceedings of
the Military Commission assigned
to try the charges filed against me by the army
prosecution staff. As you know, I've been
charged with illegal possession of firearms, violation of
RA 1700 otherwise known as the
"Anti-Subversion Act" and murder.
You are still too young to grasp the full impact of my
decision. Briefly: by not participating
in the proceedings, I will not be represented by counsel,
the prosecution will present its
witnesses without any cross examinations, I will not put
up any defense, I will remain
passive and quiet through the entire trial and I will
merely await the verdict. Inasmuch as it
will be a completely one-sided affair, I suppose it is
reasonable to expect the maximum
penalty will be given to me. I expect to be sentenced to
imprisonment the rest of my
natural life, or possibly be sent to stand before a firing
squad. By adopting the course of
action I decided upon this afternoon, I have literally
decided to walk into the very jaws of
death.
You may ask: why did you do it?
Son, my decision is an act of conscience. It is an act of
protest against the structures of
injustice that have been imposed upon our hapless
countrymen. Futile and puny, as it will
surely appear to many, it is my last act of defiance
against tyranny and dictatorship.
You are my only son. You carry my name and the name of my
father. I have no material
wealth to leave you. I never had time to make money while
I was in the hire of our people.
For this I am very sorry. I had hopes of building a little
nest egg for you. I bought a ranch
in Masbate in the hope that after ten or fifteen years,
the coconut trees I planted there
would be yielding enough to assure you a modest but
comfortable existence.
Unfortunately, I had to sell all our properties as I
fought battle after political battle as a
beleaguered member of the opposition. And after the last
battle, I had more obligations
than assets.
The only valuable asset I can bequeath to you now is the
name you carry. I have tried my
best during my years of public service to keep that name
untarnished and respected,
unmarked by sorry compromises for expediency. I now pass
it on to you, as good, I pray,
as when my father, your grandfather passed it on to me.
I prepared a statement which I intend to read before the
military commission on Monday
at the opening of my trial. I hope the commission members
will be understanding and kind
enough to allow me to read my statement into the record.
This may well be my first and
only participation in the entire proceedings.
In this statement, I said: Some people suggested that I
beg for mercy from the present
powers that be. Son, this I cannot do in conscience. I
would rather die on my feet with
honor, than live on bended knees in shame.
Your great grandfather, Gen. Servilliano Aquino was twice
condemned to death by both the
Spaniards and the American colonizers. Fortunately, he
survived both by a twist of fate.
Your grandfather, my father was also imprisoned by the
Americans because he loved his
people more than the Americans who colonized us. He was
finally vindicated. Our
ancestors have shared the pains, the sorrows and the
anguish of Mother Filipinas when
she was in bondage.
It is a rare privilege for me to join the Motherland in
the dark dungeon where she was led
back by one of her own sons whom she lavished with love
and glory.
I ended my statement thus: I have chosen to follow my
conscience and accept the tyrant's
revenge.
It takes little effort to stop a tyrant. I have no doubt
in the ultimate victory of right over
wrong, of evil over good, in the awakening of the
Filipino.
Forgive me for passing unto your young shoulders the great
responsibility for our family. I
trust you will love your mother and your sisters and
lavish them with the care and
protection I would have given them.
I was barely fifteen years old when my father died. His
death was my most traumatic
experience. I loved and hero-worshipped him so much, I
wanted to join him in his grave
when he passed away. But as in all sorrows, eventually
they are washed away by the rains
of time.
In the coming years, I hope you will study very hard so
that you will have a solid
foundation on which to build your future. I may no longer
be around to give you my
fatherly advice. I have asked many of your uncles to help
you along should the need arise
and I pray you will have the humility to drink from their
fountain of experiences.
Look after your two younger sisters with understanding and
affection. Viel and Krissy will
need your umbrella of protection for a long time. Krissy
is still very young and fate has
been most unkind to both of us. Our parting came too soon.
Please make up for me. Take
care of her as I would have taken care of her with
patience and warm affection.
Finally, stand by your mother as she stood beside me
through the buffeting winds of crisis
and uncertainties firm and resolute and uncowed. I pray to
God, you inherit her
indomitable spirit and her rare brand of silent courage.
I had hopes of introducing you to my friends, showing you
the world and guide you
through the maze of survival. I am afraid, you will now
have to go it alone without your
guide.
The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow
your conscience.
There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland.
No greater people than our own.
Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and
with all your strength.
Son, the ball is now in your hands.
Lovingly,
Dad
August 25, 1973
Fort Bonifacio
11:30pm
Mr. Benigno S. Aquino III
P E R S O N A L
My dearest Son:
One of these days , when you have completed your studies I
am sure you will have the
opportunity to visit many countries. And in your travels
you will witness a bullfight.
In Spanish bullfighting as you know, a man - the matador
-
is pitted against an angry bull.
The man goads the bull to extreme anger and madness. Then
a moment comes when the
bull, maddened, bleeding and covered with darts, feeling
his last moment has come, stops
rushing about and grimly turns his face on the man with
the scarlet "muleta" and sword.
The Spaniards call this "the moment of truth." This is the
climax of the bullfight.
This afternoon, I have arrived at my own moment of truth.
After a lengthy conference with
my lawyers, Senators Jovito R. Salonga and Lorenzo M.
Tanada I made a very crucial and
vital decision that will surely affect all our lives:
mommie's, your sisters', yours and all our
loved ones as well as mine.
I have decided not to participate in the proceedings of
the Military Commission assigned
to try the charges filed against me by the army
prosecution staff. As you know, I've been
charged with illegal possession of firearms, violation of
RA 1700 otherwise known as the
"Anti-Subversion Act" and murder.
You are still too young to grasp the full impact of my
decision. Briefly: by not participating
in the proceedings, I will not be represented by counsel,
the prosecution will present its
witnesses without any cross examinations, I will not put
up any defense, I will remain
passive and quiet through the entire trial and I will
merely await the verdict. Inasmuch as it
will be a completely one-sided affair, I suppose it is
reasonable to expect the maximum
penalty will be given to me. I expect to be sentenced to
imprisonment the rest of my
natural life, or possibly be sent to stand before a firing
squad. By adopting the course of
action I decided upon this afternoon, I have literally
decided to walk into the very jaws of
death.
You may ask: why did you do it?
Son, my decision is an act of conscience. It is an act of
protest against the structures of
injustice that have been imposed upon our hapless
countrymen. Futile and puny, as it will
surely appear to many, it is my last act of defiance
against tyranny and dictatorship.
You are my only son. You carry my name and the name of my
father. I have no material
wealth to leave you. I never had time to make money while
I was in the hire of our people.
For this I am very sorry. I had hopes of building a little
nest egg for you. I bought a ranch
in Masbate in the hope that after ten or fifteen years,
the coconut trees I planted there
would be yielding enough to assure you a modest but
comfortable existence.
Unfortunately, I had to sell all our properties as I
fought battle after political battle as a
beleaguered member of the opposition. And after the last
battle, I had more obligations
than assets.
The only valuable asset I can bequeath to you now is the
name you carry. I have tried my
best during my years of public service to keep that name
untarnished and respected,
unmarked by sorry compromises for expediency. I now pass
it on to you, as good, I pray,
as when my father, your grandfather passed it on to me.
I prepared a statement which I intend to read before the
military commission on Monday
at the opening of my trial. I hope the commission members
will be understanding and kind
enough to allow me to read my statement into the record.
This may well be my first and
only participation in the entire proceedings.
In this statement, I said: Some people suggested that I
beg for mercy from the present
powers that be. Son, this I cannot do in conscience. I
would rather die on my feet with
honor, than live on bended knees in shame.
Your great grandfather, Gen. Servilliano Aquino was twice
condemned to death by both the
Spaniards and the American colonizers. Fortunately, he
survived both by a twist of fate.
Your grandfather, my father was also imprisoned by the
Americans because he loved his
people more than the Americans who colonized us. He was
finally vindicated. Our
ancestors have shared the pains, the sorrows and the
anguish of Mother Filipinas when
she was in bondage.
It is a rare privilege for me to join the Motherland in
the dark dungeon where she was led
back by one of her own sons whom she lavished with love
and glory.
I ended my statement thus: I have chosen to follow my
conscience and accept the tyrant's
revenge.
It takes little effort to stop a tyrant. I have no doubt
in the ultimate victory of right over
wrong, of evil over good, in the awakening of the
Filipino.
Forgive me for passing unto your young shoulders the great
responsibility for our family. I
trust you will love your mother and your sisters and
lavish them with the care and
protection I would have given them.
I was barely fifteen years old when my father died. His
death was my most traumatic
experience. I loved and hero-worshipped him so much, I
wanted to join him in his grave
when he passed away. But as in all sorrows, eventually
they are washed away by the rains
of time.
In the coming years, I hope you will study very hard so
that you will have a solid
foundation on which to build your future. I may no longer
be around to give you my
fatherly advice. I have asked many of your uncles to help
you along should the need arise
and I pray you will have the humility to drink from their
fountain of experiences.
Look after your two younger sisters with understanding and
affection. Viel and Krissy will
need your umbrella of protection for a long time. Krissy
is still very young and fate has
been most unkind to both of us. Our parting came too soon.
Please make up for me. Take
care of her as I would have taken care of her with
patience and warm affection.
Finally, stand by your mother as she stood beside me
through the buffeting winds of crisis
and uncertainties firm and resolute and uncowed. I pray to
God, you inherit her
indomitable spirit and her rare brand of silent courage.
I had hopes of introducing you to my friends, showing you
the world and guide you
through the maze of survival. I am afraid, you will now
have to go it alone without your
guide.
The only advice I can give you: Live with honor and follow
your conscience.
There is no greater nation on earth than our Motherland.
No greater people than our own.
Serve them with all your heart, with all your might and
with all your strength.
Son, the ball is now in your hands.
Lovingly,
Dad