It was in September 21, 1972 when former President Ferdinand Marcos declared the Philippines under Martial Law. This gave him full power over the whole of the nation. He suppressed the freedom of speech, freedom of press, and other civil liberties. He ordered the arrest of those who criticized him or went against him. Among those who were arrested were then Senate President Jovito Salonga and Senators Jose Diokno and Benigno Aquino Jr. Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. was being groomed by the opposition to run against Marcos in the supposed 1973 elections. It never took place because of Martial Law that allowed him to politically coerce and change the constitution in his favor, which gave him an addition 14 years as president.
All throughout his regime, there were still groups of people who conspired to overthrow Marcos, led by then incarcerated Senator Aquino. He gained popularity among the Filipinos for opposing the Marcos regime, and was later forced to seek exile in the United States.
In 1983, Senator Aquino announced that he will be coming back to the Philippines despite the numerous threats on his life. He received a lot of warning from different groups not to return to the Philippines, but when he was asked, he only answered “THE FILIPINO IS WORTH DYING FOR.”
On August 21, 1983, while disembarking from the plane in the Manila International Airport (now known as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport), he was shot in plain sight. This enraged many Filipinos, and later on in 1984, a commission organized by the government to investigate the assassination came out with results that the military conspired to assassinate Senator Aquino.
It was February 7, 1986 when a snap election took place, with the late Senator Aquino’s wife Corazon Cojuanco-Aquino ran against Marcos for the presidential slot. The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) announced Marcos as the winner, but the National Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) had Aquino as the winner. This sparked a huge controversy and even the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines condemned the alleged fraud. On February 15, COMELEC and Batasang Pambasa (National Congress) proclaimed Marcos as president despite the claims on election fraud. 50 opposition members of the Parliament walked out as a sign of protest.
*images from Google Images*
