Groups slam Marcos for moving Ninoy Aquino holiday

Metro Manila, Philippines – Moving the commemoration of Ninoy Aquino Day from Aug. 21 to 23 diminishes its historical significance, some groups and netizens said on Friday, Aug. 16.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declared Aug. 23 (Friday) as a special non-working day to provide a longer weekend. Aug. 26 (Monday) is a public holiday in celebration of National Heroes Day.

Bagong Alyansa Makabayan president Renato Reyes said the date’s significance shouldn’t be sacrificed for the so-called holiday economics.

“May dahilan kung bakit ginugunita natin ang mga makasaysayang petsa tulad ng Agosto 21 lalo pa’t may malalim na kahulugan ito sa ating karanasan sa paglaban sa diktadura,” he said in a post on X.

[Translation: There is a reason why we commemorate historic dates like Aug. 21, especially since they hold deep meaning in our experience against the dictatorship.]

Project Gunita, an academic research organization aiming to counter supposed historical distortion, urged Filipinos to defend the truth about the nation’s history.

“Just a reminder for the Marcos Jr administration that, notwithstanding holiday economics, the brutal murder of Ninoy Aquino by agents of the Marcos Sr dictatorship happened on August 21 1983. Not August 23,” it said.

Some netizens, meanwhile, pointed out how the Marcos administration removed the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution from the official holiday list this year. The bloodless uprising ended the 21-year dictatorship of President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Others said they will never forget the true meaning of Aug. 21.

“With or without a holiday, I will commemorate and remember,” a netizen said.

Aug. 21 was declared a special non-working holiday in 2004 through Republic Act 9256 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

It sought to commemorate the death anniversary of former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. who was assassinated by a lone gunman on Aug. 21 1983 on the tarmac of the then Manila International Airport.