Back in 1983, practically no one among my classmates in my freshman year in the university knew who Ninoy Aquino was, such that when we heard he was assassinated, nobody really bothered to ask who he was. We were among the so-called Martial Law babies, who were born during the long presidency of Ferdinand Marcos from December 1965 to February 1986 - a period that included long years of dictatorship.
As such, we barely could remember that Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was actually the esteemed leader of the nascent political opposition then in the Philippines (and who was flying back to the country to lead the restoration of democracy after 3 years of exile in the US).
Ninoy Aquino was shot at the tarmac of the international airport in Manila (formerly called Manila International Airport, now renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport) on August 21, 1983. Up to now, ordinary people still doubt if those military men who were with Ninoy at the tarmac and who were eventually convicted and imprisoned with life sentence, really did kill Ninoy on that fateful day.
Actually, another man, Rolando "Rolly" Galman was killed by aviation security in the same place and almost at the same time where Ninoy was assassinated.
The Marcos dictatorship soon arranged an independent fact-finding commission after the assassination, which was replaced by another body, most probably to help dispel grave doubts from the public. A year of investigation by the Agrava Fact-Finding Board (as it was headed by a former law school classmate of then-President Marcos, retired Court of Appeals Justice Corazon Agrava) yielded two separate reports, a majority and minority one.
The Chairperson, herself submitted the minority report, that suggested the filing of criminal charges against military personnel, but excluding the then-Chief of Staff General Fabian Ver, a trusted ally of then-President Marcos. The majority report suggested the filing of charges against all military personnel involved, including General Ver.
A subsequent trial for the murder of Ninoy Aquino with the Sandiganbayan, a Constitution-mandated special court that specializes on hearing cases involving government officers and employees, took place. General Ver had to be relieved by then-President Marcos, as he was among those charged for the murder, among other military officers and personnel.
By end of 1985, all the accused were acquitted after a relatively brief trial. General Ver was then re-instated by Marcos to his former post.
But when the Marcos dictatorship was toppled by People Power Revolution, the decisions were reviewed by the Philippine Supreme Court. Then-President Corazon "Cory" Aquino didn't express much enthusiasm over the case. By 1995, twelve years after the tragic event, a group of sixteen soldiers, including a brigadier general, was consequently convicted to life imprisonment for the double murder of Ninoy Aquino and Rolando Galman.
On March 2009, current-President Macapagal-Arroyo has pardoned and allowed the release of all the living military personnel who were convicted for these two deaths.
But questions linger among curious readers, and disinterested observers of Philippine-related events. Some questions include:
1) How could a murder as blatant as these two killings, that happened practically minutes after each other, have taken place in a very secure area as the international airport of Manila? It was certainly a known political opposition member who was arriving, such that the government then prepared for his arrival by sending out a special team of military personnel to pick him up - still it did happen as if almost insulting to one's intelligence.
2) Why would analysts consider the then-President Marcos to be the mastermind, or among those who would have an indirect role, i.e. playing on the sidelines by just giving orders to his trusted lieutenants, on this assassination? The plan was poorly executed, if seen on hindsight. This would have surely cost him his office that he looked like he wanted to keep for himself for the rest of his life?
It seems to be pretty inconsistent with the usual way of thinking, and observed behaviors of the said President (who once delivered a speech from memory before the US Congress, a bar topnotcher, and a shrewd politician).
3) What's behind the expressed disinterest of former President Aquino (now deceased) when the case over her husband's murder (and that of Galman) was being reviewed by the Philippine Supreme Court? Did she know, or did she have some invaluable knowledge on who killed her husband?
Was she just being her usual self when she behaved this way towards the case, or was it just being a more convenient way, i.e. it won't matter anymore as finding out the truth won't bring her husband back to life anymore. Why would she not be playing or willing to play the role of a positive role model in ferreting out the truth behind these double murders?
A prime example like this high-level case, if satisfactorily solved, would have sent out a very strong message to local courts to work seriously and solve murder mysteries happening to common people's lives, the news of which are commonly read practically everyday.
Well, we can only sigh, and claim from our comfortable view as observers from our side of the bench, that a lot of things remain languidly unsolved up to this day. When it's the ruling and powerful elites (who lead very public lives, and who struggle against claimants to keep their comfortable positions) of the country who are involved, a lot of exceptions happen (very conveniently).
Rules are conveniently dismissed, ignored and forgotten, with apparent total disrespect to common people's intelligence. This is one killing mystery that highlights those exceptions enjoyed or probably experienced by members of those who belong to the elites - it maybe worth a review by a curious historian many generations from now.
Two opinion columns, plus a Time magazine report, that maybe helpful in highlighting other aspects of the mystery can be read in this links:
1) "Who killed Ninoy?" by Artemio Panganiban
2) "Who killed Ninoy?" by Tony Abaya
3) "Murder mystery"