Statement of Aquino Family on Ninoy-Duterte Comparison
AQUINO FAMILY – The family of Ninoy issued a statement on the late former Senator being compared with former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Currently, only Vice Pres. Sara Duterte among the Duterte siblings is in The Hague, Netherlands and was able to see her father, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, amid his detention. Previously, the Vice President said she is the only one in their family with a Schengen Visa and the other family members are still applying for the travel document.
Former Pres. Duterte is detained in the detention facility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for more than a week now. According to Vice Pres. Duterte, her father recently expressed his desire to go home to the Philippines.
According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, she told former Pres. Duterte that he will have a similar fate with Ninoy Aquino Jr. if he will insist to return to the country now. The late former Senator was shot upon his arrival from the United States after a three-year exile in the United States.
Aquino Jr. was shot at the then-Manila International Airport (now the Ninoy Aquino International Airport) even before he was able to set foot in the Philippines against. It triggered the movement and unity of the Filipino people that ousted the Marcoses.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte said he’s ready to have a similar fate with Ninoy Aquino as long as he can go home to the Philippines. While his statement may appear brave, it did not sit well with some people and groups. The Aquino family has also issued a statement about it.
Based on a report on GMA News, through Ninoy’s grandson Francis “Kiko” Dee who is the executive director of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, the Aquino family expressed that the late former Senator and former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte go through different experiences.
“Kung pag-aaralan natin ang kasaysayan, makikita natin na ibang iba ang ginawa kay Ninoy sa pinagdadaanan ngayon ni dating Pang. Duterte,” Kiko said in a statement.
Several groups also reacted to the comparison between former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and the late former Sen. Ninoy Aquino. The August Twenty-One Movement or ATOM said in a statement that the Ninoy-Duterte comparison can be a political strategy of the Dutertes.