When Ninoy Aquino was murdered in 1983 by Marcos minions, the reaction of many opposition figures was: “If they can do this to Ninoy, they can do this to any of us.” Beyond grief and anger, they were suddenly feeling vulnerable — wala palang untouchable, not even Ninoy — baka sila na ang susunod.
When Digong Duterte was arrested some two weeks ago, I heard some DDS peeps saying roughly the same thing: “If they can do this to Tatay Digong, they can do it to any of us.” I wondered if it was a natural visceral reaction, as in ’83, or a knowing and deliberate copy, meant to liken Digong, accused of crimes against humanity, to Ninoy, the hero and martyr who dared stand up to the dictator and died for it. I thought to give them the benefit of the doubt, Hindi naman siguro deliberate.
But when VP Sara said from The Hague na “Nag-iisa ako dito…” and Imee Marcos responded from the Senate na “Hindi kayo nag-iisa…” and soon after, I heard a “tribute song” via Tiktok pa-lovingly sadly intoning “Tatay Digong, hindi ka nag-iisa…,” there was no longer any doubt that the DDS are deliberately using a significant artifact of the Ninoy narrative as a slogan to convey their love for Digong, never mind that Digong is no Ninoy, basta lang makaantig ng puso.
“Ninoy, hindi ka nag-iisa!” was a welcome message upon his return from U.S. exile in August 1983, meant to assure Ninoy that his kababayans had not forgotten him, he was not alone, we were with him in the struggle to end martial law through nonviolent means. A message, along with yellow ribbons, that Ninoy never got to see but which became the dominant soundbite cried out by the millions of Filipinos who paid him homage in the longest funeral procession in history. Addressed to Digong, however, it is a message of support for EJKs and their perpetrators, nothing more, nothing less. https://web.archive.org/web/
Then came the latest Ninoy reference that quickly went viral. Sara from Den Haag shared a conversation with Digong who asked daw when he could go home and Sara said daw that it would be better if he didn’t, otherwise he’d end up like Ninoy Aquino Jr., or something to that effect. Eh okay lang daw kay Digong, because, I guess, he is ready to die for country? better than to rot in jail?
Aquino Family. Kung pag-aaralan natin ang kasaysayan, makikita natin na ibang iba ang ginawa kay Ninoy sa pinagdadaanan ngayon ni dating Pang. Duterte.
https://www.facebook.com/francis.n.dee/Ruben Carranza. Si Ninoy na-EJK ni Marcos. Si Duterte nang-EJK at ginawang hero si Marcos. https://www.facebook.com/ruben.carranza.
Kiko Aquino Dee. Mas annoying po ito sa akin kaysa nakakasakit. … Huwag na sana idamay ang Lolo Ninoy ko…. Sa both sides po ito. Alam kong may pahayag din ang Malakanyang tungkol sa sinabi ni VP Sara. Again, parang ginagamit yung pangalan ng Lolo Ninoy ko upang basically ipagtanggol yung anak ng isang presidente na siya mismo yung nagpasimuno sa lahat ng pagdurusa ng Lolo Ninoy ko. To both of them, sana tigil-tigilan yung paggamit ng dugo ng isang Aquino upang ipaglaban yung kani-kanilang sariling interes. https://www.youtube.com/
Luke Espiritu #25. The nerve! … Yung tatay mo mamamatay-tao, si Ninoy lumaban para sa karapatang pantao. Yung tatay mo ang nagpalibing sa pumatay kay Ninoy sa Libingan ng mga Bayani. Kayo ng tatay mo ang naging instrumental sa pagbalik ng mga Marcos sa kapangyarihan, si Ninoy ang naging instrumental para sila bumagsak. Pag pinatay tatay mo ang tawag diyan ay justice, noong pinatay si Ninoy ang tawag dun ay injustice. Ispesyal na katangian at pambihirang level ng kapal ng mukha ang kailangan para di mo mapansin ang kontradiksyon sa mga sinasabi mo. https://www.facebook.com/LukeEspirituPH/
It’s all very ironic, considering that Digong, once in office, had been quick to discredit and dismiss the defeated LP as elitist dilawans.
The main opposition, the LP, became the focus of Duterte and his supporters’ criticism. This animosity has been further simplified and popularized by personalities like Mocha Uson, bloggers, administration officials, and Duterte himself, allowing them to cluster their opponents into an easily recognizable group: dilawans.
Patricio Abinales stressed that yellow was also “associated with the elite,” noting how Duterte, in line with the populist approach, redefined yellow to refer to the oligarchs he promised to depose. Furthermore, he mentioned the failure of the LP to appeal to the Filipino masses, unable to counter President Duterte’s populism. https://theguidon.com/2020/04/
That the DDS are now taking tips from the dilawan drama but in a twisted kind of way is nakakainis talaga, annoying nga, because there is no basis for comparison: hindi sila magkatulad, on any level. But like FB friend Fredda Ruth Rosete says, “… nobody owns or has a patent on strategies like boycotts, EDSA People Power and zero remittance day…” https://www.facebook.com/fredda.r.rosete/posts/
I imagine that the attitude is, “Hindi ka nag-iisa” atbp. worked for Cory and EDSA, it can work for Digong, let’s get creative. And so, kahit pa it’s for Tiktok and YouTube content that can be skewed or exaggerated in favor of Digong for some future blitz, I’m taking it na lang, pa rin, as a win, of pogi points for Ninoy, because we’re having conversations about him, beyond birth and death anniversary tributes. Thanks, DDS!