Marcos calls for reconciliation on Ninoy Aquino Day

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. marked Ninoy Aquino Day by calling for reconciliation and reflection, saying the country must draw lessons from history to guide its governance and civic life.

“The commemoration of Ninoy Aquino Day brings to light a chapter in our nation's shared story that continues to echo across generations and public memory,” Marcos said in a statement Thursday, Aug. 21. “History invites reflection more than reaction and from that reflection arises a clearer understanding of civic duty.”

Marcos said the passage of time has allowed Filipinos to approach the event with “greater clarity and, therefore, with a deeper perspective.” He added that history “offers less final judgment than continuing instruction. It sharpens how we serve, how we listen, and how we bear the weight of an office with a greater purpose moving forward.”

He framed the holiday as a call for reconciliation, declaring: “In honoring this day, the Republic signals its readiness to uphold leadership that strives towards wholeness and reconciliation. Through this observance, we advance the work of statecraft: disciplined, steady, and shaped by the enduring imperative to choose peace above quarrel, and dignity beyond differences.”

Aquino, a leading opposition figure during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was assassinated at Manila International Airport on Aug. 21, 1983, after returning from exile in the United States.

His killing sparked widespread outrage, galvanized the opposition, and fueled the People Power Revolution of 1986 that toppled Marcos and installed Aquino’s widow, Corazon Aquino, as president.